In an event in Essex, Labour leader Keir Starmer has outlined the first steps he would take if his party wins the election, which is expected to take place later this year. The measures include the creation of a border security command to tackle the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings and the recruitment of 6,500 teachers. Speaking ahead of the event, Starmer described the pledges as a “down payment on change”.
Tory chair Richard Holden dismissed the promises, claiming that they did not “amount to a hill of beans”. He added that while Labour was on its “sixteenth relaunch,” his party was “sticking to the plan which is working to strengthen the economy”. This includes lower inflation and $900 back in the pockets of hard-working people, along with a fairer immigration system that has reduced boat crossings.
Last year, Starmer outlined five “missions” including growing the UK economy and improving the NHS that he hoped to fulfill as Labour leader. Now, he is assuring voters that he would take “urgent” action on these missions with the party’s present policies as the “first steps” he would take if elected. These include cutting NHS waiting lists, setting up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power energy company, and increasing the number of neighborhood police officers.
The pledges made by Starmer are anticipated to constitute a significant part of Labour’s election campaign and are reminiscent of the pledge cards presented by Tony Blair ahead of the 1997 general election. However, a Labour spokesperson emphasised that the commitments were “not the sum total” of the party’s election proposals, and that they stood by their other policies, including housing and workers’ rights, not included in the six steps.
Labour is expected to hold separate launches for voters in Scotland and Wales in the forthcoming weeks. The party will also launch an advertising campaign consisting of ad vans and billboards. This will account for the party’s most significant ad spend since the last general election in 2019.
The event is yet another indication that political parties are in full pre-election mode. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, can choose when to call an election, but it must take place by 28 January 2025. Earlier this week, Sunak made a comprehensive speech, strongly criticising Starmer’s record on defence spending and arguing that he would make the UK less safe
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