Sir Keir Starmer meeting editors in Downing Street on Monday

THE big bosses of the UK’s regional press heard the prime minister tell them that he was kept on his toes by his local paper.

Sir Keir Starmer held a reception for the locals inside Downing Street on Monday afternoon, during which he said he recognised both the importance of the industry and the immediate challenges it faces.

During his speech he named only one newspaper ­– the Islington Tribune’s sister title the Camden New Journal, of which he told guests that he had “been held to account by for many years and who won awards for regional reporting”.

Before moving to Downing Street last year, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, read the paper on his way to work and now gets a copy at Number 10 each week.

So, yes, he does see your letters.

Mr Starmer delivers his speech

But the paper has not held back on asking him tough questions ­– an interview in which we asked him to define whether he was a socialist or not was picked up by the nationals, while he has faced questions from us on his stance on the disruption caused in Euston by the Labour-backed HS2 scheme and when Camden Council can expect a bigger budget from his new government.

“It’s uncomfortable at times I’ll be perfectly honest about that and there are questions you put to us which we’d rather you didn’t put or not quite the same way and we know we aren’t going to get away without an answer,” he said.

“But as uncomfortable though it is, it is really important we’re open about that because, particularly at the moment, we have to remind ourselves what living in a democracy really is, where politicians can’t just say things and get away with it.”

He made a joke about how everybody in politics had learned how hard regional media could punch when former PM Liz Truss had a disastrous round of interviews on local radio.