Keir Starmer will fire the starting gun on his bid to be Labour's first leader since Tony Blair to win a UK general election by borrowing from the totemic premier's campaign play book: Printing the promises he wants to be judged by on cards to give voters at events, starting in Essex on Thursday.

The "first steps for change" will mark the priorities Labour will emphasize as it tries to oust the Conservative Party from power after 14 years. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is widely expected to call a nationwide election in the autumn.

Along with boosting the economy, reducing NHS waiting lists, recruiting more teachers, tackling crime and investing in green technology -- all "missions" Starmer has mentioned before -- Labour will add a new border security unit focused on people-smuggling, as part of a broader crackdown on migration.

Labour's election defeat in 2019 under former leader Jeremy Corbyn left Starmer needing the biggest turnaround in the postwar era to get the opposition back into power. But a poll lead of as much as 30 points, as well as a slew of wins in local, mayoral and parliamentary elections means the party is increasingly viewed as almost a shoo-in to form the next UK government.

That has heaped intense pressure on Starmer to emulate Blair not only by becoming prime minister, but also to start building a Labour legacy in government to match the three-time general election winner.

Both leaders have argued that Starmer's inheritance, especially Britain's moribund economy, make comparisons unfair. When...