Sir Keir Starmer has said it is “not easy” for young men “growing up in this day and age”, in an open letter to his son to marking International Men’s Day.

The prime minister urged men to talk openly about their mental health, reflecting on his strained relationship with his own father who he “never really spoke” to.

His comments come as the government launched England’s first men’s health strategy, aimed at tackling issues predominantly faced by men such as suicide, alcohol abuse and problem gambling.

In the letter to his 17-year-old son, who he has not publicly named, Sir Keir said there were “pressures on young men that are difficult to talk about”.

Sir Keir also spoke about his experience of not having “a very close relationship with my own dad” shaped his relationship with his own children.

The prime minister has made much of his background, repeatedly mentioning in speeches his father was a toolmaker and his mother a nurse, who suffered from a debilitating form of arthritis known as Still’s disease.

In his letter, Sir Keir wrote that he and his father “never really spoke” and “never really got to know each other”.

The prime minister said spending time with his son was “one of the highlights of my week”.

“You’ve grown into a confident, kind, wonderful young man. And I’m so proud of you,” he wrote.

“If there’s one hope I have, it’s that we keep talking, keep learning from each other, keep helping each other.”

Sir Keir also acknowledged the strain his job places on family life, saying he is acutely aware of the “huge sacrifices” made by his wife and children since he entered Downing Street.

“The reason I do the job I do, and I know that means huge sacrifices for you, for your sister and your mum, is because I want the world for tomorrow’s generation to be better,” he said.

In his letter, Sir Keir wrote that watching Adolescence, the hit Netflix series about a 13-year-old arrested for stabbing a classmate, with his son had helped shaped his perspective on the problems facing young men.

The prime minister previously invited the shows creators to a Downing Street meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online.

Sir Keir also used his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session to mark International Men’s Day.

He praised fellow Labour MP Luke Charters for sharing his mental health battle after nearly losing his wife in the traumatic birth of their first child, saying others would “be inspired to talk openly about their experiences”.

PMQs however was dominated by preparations for what is looking to be a bruising Budget for the prime minister.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the government’s Budget is unravelling before it has even been delivered, after the chancellor appeared to back away from raising income tax rates following weeks of damaging stories.

Sir Keir has also been forced to deny he authorised attacks on cabinet colleagues after a flurry of briefings to the press claimed ministers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, were plotting leadership bids.

As part of the new men’s health stratergy, the government has promised £3.6m over the next three years to suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities where they are most at risk of taking their own lives.

Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50 and three-quarters of all suicides are in men.

A three-year partnership with the Premier League will also embed mental health messaging into football matches and fan spaces.

The Department of Health said men are less likely to seek help and more likely to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs than women.

Under the plans, a new levy will be charged on betting companies – while the government will trial ways to reduce cocaine and alcohol-related deaths, including workplace pilots to bring health checks into male-dominated industries.