The Labour Party conference was addressed by Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, in his first speech since coming to power. In his address, he spoke of a “shared struggle,” whilst remaining optimistic about the country’s future. The prime minister emphasised that, in the present moment, tough decisions must be taken to construct a new Britain.
The government’s stance on the public finances has been bleak since it was elected. The prime minister used his speech to impart his positive vision for the country’s future. Nevertheless, the decision to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners has angered unions and members of the Labour Party. There is also displeasure about political donations to Sir Keir and other ministers.
Sir Keir promised to build a future of “national renewal” and spoke of the collective and shared struggle involved in achieving this. He spoke about taking tough decisions for the greater good and that everyone would benefit in the long term, with “light at the end of the tunnel” visible if the right decisions were made. At the same time, he cautioned against offering easy answers or false hope.
The prime minister announced that there would be new legislation to tackle welfare fraudsters. The Labour Party stated that this had the potential to save £1.6bn from the public purse within five years. The Department for Work and Pensions will obtain additional powers under these measures to investigate potential fraud and recover owed debts. However, the vulnerable claimants must be guaranteed protection against harm or unintended consequences.
The previous Conservative government was accused of leaving a £22bn “black hole” in several unfunded spending commitments. The prime minister reiterated this accusation during his speech, stating that public services had been “decimated,” leaving many communities held together solely by goodwill. Sir Keir also warned that the working people’s pockets were not deep, and reform alongside investment in public services was imperative. Even though the Labour Party has repeatedly pledged not to raise taxes such as VAT, national insurance and income tax, the chancellor could not keep her promise to raise taxes on these without being forced to rely on other sources of funding, as per the current state of public finances
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