UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Keir Starmer

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the LGA Labour Conference

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the LGA Labour Conference

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 6 February 2021.

    Thank you for that introduction, Nick.

    And for everything you’re doing for the people of Newcastle, for the Labour Party and for local government.

    Thanks also to the LGA Labour group and the ALC for making this conference such a success – even in the most difficult of circumstances.

    I have to say it’s a bit odd that I’m giving a speech on localism into a camera – rather than surrounded by you and our fantastic team of Labour councillors, mayors and candidates.

    I hope it gives you a sense of how important I think my relationship is with you that my first visit as Labour leader – just after the first lockdown – was to Stevenage with our amazing council leader, Sharon Taylor.

    When I was running to be Labour leader I said we needed to close the gap between the Labour Leadership in Westminster and the Labour Leadership across the country.

    That’s why over the last ten months we’ve worked so hard to strengthen the bond between you and me.

    I feel passionately about this – our party has a huge amount to learn from what you’re doing and we should champion much more than we do all of your achievements.

    And I’ll be out with you again – fighting for every seat in the elections in May.

    Those elections will be difficult – and given the pandemic they will be unique.

    But there is no doubting that they are incredibly important elections.

    Because every vote for Labour this May is a vote to secure our economy, to protect our NHS and to rebuild Britain.

    Every council seat we can win is a chance to support our local communities, to deliver social justice and to make a difference to people’s lives.

    That’s why I got into politics. Its why you did too: To change lives, to build stronger communities and to make this the country we know it can be.

    During this pandemic, the absence of good government in Westminster has reminded us how much it matters.

    And we’ve also seen that local government matters more than ever.

    Because it’s been you – in local government – who have kept our communities safe.

    Whether by pioneering local test and trace services – as Preston, Sandwell, Blackburn and many other Councils did.

    We all know that test and trace was really struggling until the Government finally accepted the argument to hand much more control to our local authorities.

    You also brought together local charities, volunteers and businesses to provide emergency food and support for those at risk – Gedling Borough Council and Nottingham City Council are examples of this, but there are many others I could choose.

    You also set up growth hubs and dedicated support for local businesses, as we’ve seen with Rossendale, Basildon and many other councils.

    And, of course, Mark Drakeford and the Welsh Council leaders have shown the huge benefits of working hand in hand to tackle the pandemic.

    You’ve held communities together. You’ve made a difference.

    So today I want to start simply by saying: thank you.

    And then I want to talk about what you’re owed in return.

    Because for too long, the work of local government has not been sufficiently recognised.

    For too long, the demand to our local leaders has been: do more, with less.

    For too long, Westminster has held onto powers that would be far better exercised closer to home.

    It’s time that changed.

    It’s time that power was pushed out from Westminster to the British people.

    This pandemic has exposed how hard governing locally has become.

    Budgets are tighter than they have ever been. The demand for services is greater.

    A national crisis on this scale should have been a time for central government to work with and empower local communities.

    But too often this Government’s approach has been to keep local government at arm’s length.

    To hold back services that would have been far better in local hands, such as track and trace.

    And to talk over local leaders on decisions that have huge consequences on people’s jobs and lives.

    This Government likes to talk the language of localism.

    But that rhetoric needs a reality check.

    Because over the last decade, councils in England have seen their core funding cut by £15 bn.

    Local government across the country is now facing a huge funding gap.

    It’s a shameful story – but sadly not a new one.

    In fact, we’re living through the latest chapter of a story that stretches back over a hundred years.

    That story is about the long retreat of local government power in this country.

    It’s a story of centralization and continuous cuts.

    It’s a story of a slow but steady erosion of local control.

    In the last decades of the 19th century, local authorities raised money and spent it locally.

    They built houses, parks, hospitals, museums, libraries and swimming pools.

    Think of the great monuments of civic pride.

    The great George Square in Huddersfield.

    The proud town halls of Bradford, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and Wakefield.

    And, of course, local government has produced some of our great pioneers and public servants.

    Just as it does today.

    But for a century now, local government has been in retreat.

    Sometimes social justice required this.

    For example, the Lloyd George reforms and the response to The Great Depression of the 1930’s. Equally the two World Wars demanded it.

    And the Labour Governments of Attlee, Wilson and Blair carried out vital reforms on a national scale.

    But even the new Labour Government of 1997 – while delivering historic devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – made less progress in delivering devolution across England.

    And that’s as nothing when compared to the record of Conservative governments.

    Thatcher, of course, wanted to turn back the post-war welfare state – but she didn’t want to return any power to local authorities.

    On the contrary, she wanted to crush local government, and cut funding even further.

    That was bad enough.

    But it was just a prelude to the assault on local government that occurred after 2010.

    Central government grants to local councils were slashed by over a third.

    One by one, local institutions have disappeared.

    In the last decade, local spending on youth services in England fell by 73%.

    Nearly 800 youth centres closed.

    700 libraries.

    In 2010, there were around 3,600 Sure Start centres in the UK.

    1,000 of those have since closed.

    This government promised a new start.

    But what use is talk of levelling up, if our local services are shut down?

    The Government said it would do “whatever it takes” to support local government.

    But local budgets are under strain like never before.

    And as you know better than anyone: one of the main reasons is that despite years of promising to fix Social Care.

    The Tories have spent years cutting social care budgets.

    The way the Tories have neglected social care in this country and failed to protect our care homes is a national disgrace.

    We will never let them forget it.

    I know that the government’s failure to fund councils properly will leave many councils with no choice but to put council tax up.

    That’s why Labour forced a vote on this in the House of Commons two weeks ago.

    And we’ll keep pushing the Chancellor to provide the funding councils need – and were promised.

    But funding is only part of the story.

    It’s time for some new thinking too.

    To end the long retreat of local government.

    And to empower our local leaders and local communities like never before.

    Because I believe that power, resources and decision-making should lie as close to people as possible.

    My view is simple: power should be exercised locally unless it has to be exercised centrally.

    Lots of leaders say this.

    I actually mean it.

    Britain today is one of the most centralised countries in Europe.

    And it’s holding us back.

    Economic devolution, done right, reduces regional inequalities and delivers social justice

    Push power down, and you spread prosperity out.

    Empower local leaders…. and local communities thrive.

    For over a century, successive governments have failed to understand this….

    It is time to rebalance. To deliver real devolution and real social justice. To ensure that local people are in charge of the resources – and the opportunities – to improve their own communities.

    And to push power out beyond our town halls and city centres

    That’s what we aim to achieve with our constitutional commission.

    Now, I know this can sound dry!

    But it is utterly central to the UK-wide project of empowerment and localism that I want the next Labour government to deliver.

    That won’t be about shifting powers from one place to another….or moving a few government departments or civil servants across the country.

    It will seek fundamentally to change the balance of power, wealth and opportunity across the United Kingdom.

    Because I believe there’s a desire across the country for politics and power to be much closer to people.

    And unless we answer that now – and finally deliver real devolution in England – we wont be able to deliver better services

    Build stronger communities

    Or realise the potential in all corners of the country.

    I want all of you – our councillors, mayors, the LGA and our local government leaders – to play a key role in the Commission

    To shape its thinking.

    Because there could be nothing worse than drawing up a blueprint for localism in a room in Westminster, We’ve had enough of that!

    This needs to be shaped by the experiences of those at the sharp-end of local government across England….and across the UK.

    In the last year local government has done so much for all of us.

    You deserve a government in Westminster that recognises that.

    But with Johnson and Jenrick, I suspect it’s going to get harder before it gets easier for local government.

    A story that started a hundred years ago has some time to run yet.

    But looking to the future, I believe that we can close the book on the long story of the retreat of local government….the tale of centralization and cuts.

    And that starts with the elections in May.

    It starts with you.

    We often hear that people don’t trust politicians.

    I think the bigger problem is that politicians don’t trust the people.

    I do.

    We do

    And when the people return Labour to power, Labour will return power to the people.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Death of Sir Tom Moore

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Death of Sir Tom Moore

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 2 February 2021.

    This is incredibly sad news.

    Captain Tom Moore put others first at a time of national crisis and was a beacon of hope for millions.

    Britain has lost a hero.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Cladding

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Cladding

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 1 February 2021.

    Today needs to be a turning point for those affected by the cladding scandal. Millions of people have been sucked into this crisis due to years of dither, delay and half-baked solutions from the Government.

    For many leaseholders, the dream of home ownership has become a nightmare. They feel abandoned, locked down in flammable homes and facing ruinous costs for repair work and interim safety measures.

    I urge Conservative MPs to vote with us in Parliament today and put their constituents’ safety and security first. And I urge the Government to get a grip of this crisis through a national taskforce and by implementing Labour’s six demands.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Novavax Vaccine

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Novavax Vaccine

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 28 January 2021.

    Fantastic news about the Novavax vaccine.

    This is one more step towards getting Britain vaccinated. Thank you to everyone involved in this national effort.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech on Covid-19 in the House of Commons

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech on Covid-19 in the House of Commons

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, in the House of Commons on 27 January 2021.

    I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. To lose 100,000 people to this virus is nothing short of a national tragedy. It is a stark number: an empty chair at the kitchen table; a person obviously taken before their time. Today, we should remember that, and we should mark the moment by learning the lessons of the last year to make sure that the same mistakes are not made again.

    Of course, any Government would have struggled with this pandemic—I get that and the British people get that—but the reality is that Britain is the first country in Europe to suffer 100,000 deaths, and we have one of the highest death rates in the world. The Prime Minister often says that he has been balancing the health restrictions against economic risks, but that simply does not wash, because alongside that high death toll we also have the deepest recession of any major economy and the lowest growth of any major economy, and we are on course to have one of the slowest recoveries of any major economy.

    So for all the contrition and sympathy that the Prime Minister expresses, and I recognise how heartfelt that is, the truth is that this was not inevitable—it was not just bad luck. It is the result of a huge number of mistakes by the Prime Minister during the course of this pandemic. We were too slow into lockdown last March, too slow to get protective equipment to the front line and, of course, too slow to protect our care homes—20% of deaths in this pandemic have come from care home residents. I really do not think that the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary understand just how offensive it was to pretend that there was a protective ring around our care homes.

    The Government had the chance over the summer to learn from those mistakes in the first wave and prepare for a second wave and a challenging winter. I put that challenge to the Prime Minister in June, but that chance was wasted. The Government then went on to fail to deliver an effective test, trace and isolate system, despite all the warnings. They failed to deliver clear and reliable public messaging, crucial in a pandemic—one minute telling people to go to work, then to do the complete opposite.

    The Prime Minister has failed on a number of occasions to follow the scientific advice that the virus was getting out of control. First, in September, when that advice was given, they failed to implement a circuit break or lockdown over half-term as we suggested. Then in December, we had the fiasco over Christmas mixing. Once again, we had the 13-day delay from 22 December, when that further medical advice was given, to when the third national lockdown was finally introduced. As a result, we have seen a third wave more deadly than the first and second waves. Fifty thousand people have died since 11 November. That is 50,000 deaths in 77 days. That is a scarcely believable toll on the British people.

    In isolation, any of these mistakes are perhaps understandable. Taken together, it is a damning indictment of how the Government have handled this pandemic. The Prime Minister says, “Well, now is not the time to answer the question why.” That is the answer he gave back in the summer after the first wave. He said the same after the second wave, and he says it again now, each time repeating the mistakes over and over again. That is why now is the time to ask and answer the question why.

    The way out of this nightmare has now been provided by our amazing scientists, our NHS, our armed forces and hundreds of thousands of volunteers. The vaccine programme is making incredible progress. The British people have come together to deliver what is the largest peacetime effort in our history. Despite the Prime Minister’s constant complaining, all of us—all of us—are doing whatever we can to help the vaccine roll out as swiftly and as safely as possible.

    On schools, first I have to say that even for this Prime Minister it is quite something to open schools one day and close them the next, to call them vectors of transmission and then to challenge me to say that the schools he has closed are safe, only now to give a statement where he says that schools cannot open until 8 March at the earliest because it is not safe to do so. That is his analysis. It is the sort of nonsense that has led us to the highest death toll in Europe and the worst recession.

    We of course welcome any steps forward in reopening schools, and we will look at the detail of how the Education Secretary plans to deliver that and the plans to deliver online learning. I also hope that the Prime Minister will take seriously our proposal—echoed, incidentally, by the Children’s Commissioner and the Conservative Chair of the Education Committee, the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon)—that once the first four categories of the most vulnerable have been vaccinated by mid-February, he should bring forward the vaccination of key workers and use that window of the February half-term to vaccinate all school staff, including every teacher and teaching assistant. There is a clear week there when that could be done, and it should be done.

    On borders, we will look at the detail—

    Mr Speaker

    Order. I hope that the right hon. and learned Gentleman’s comments are coming to an end; he is well past the five minutes allocated.

    Keir Starmer

    On borders, we will look at the Prime Minister’s statement in detail, and obviously hear what the Home Secretary has to say, but in due course there will be a public inquiry. The Prime Minister will have to answer the question. I hope that he can finally answer this very simple and direct question, because yesterday he was maintaining that the Government had done

    “everything we could to save lives.”

    Is he really saying to those grieving families that their loss was just inevitable and that none of the 100,000 deaths could have been avoided?

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Statement on Coronavirus Deaths Reaching 100,000

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Statement on Coronavirus Deaths Reaching 100,000

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 26 January 2021.

    This is a national tragedy and a terrible reminder of all that we have lost as a country. We must never become numb to these numbers or treat them as just statistics. Every death is a loved one, a friend, a neighbour, a partner or a colleague. It is an empty chair at the dinner table.

    To all those that are mourning, we must promise to learn the lessons of what went wrong and build a more resilient country. That day will come and we will get there together. But for now we must remember those that we have lost and be vigilant in the national effort to stay at home, protect our NHS and vaccinate Britain.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Universal Credit

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on Universal Credit

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 18 January 2021.

    Families across the UK have spent the past year worried for their loved ones, their jobs and their family’s security.

    Millions of people have had to juggle childcare with working from home, have seen jobs or incomes cut or been excluded from self-employed support. If we don’t give a helping hand to families through this pandemic, then we are going to slow our economic recovery as we come out it.

    We began 2021 with one of the worst death tolls in Europe and the deepest recession of any major economy. Without action from Government, millions of families face a £1,000 per year shortfall in the midst of a historic crisis.

    We urge Boris Johnson to change course and give families certainty today that their incomes will be protected.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the Fabian Society

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the Fabian Society

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 16 January 2021.

    Good morning.

    I think this is the fifth time that I’ve spoken at your New Year Conference. A lot has happened in that time. Two General Elections, a referendum, and a couple of Labour leadership elections too!

    In fact, this time last year I was rushing back to speak to you after the first leadership hustings in Liverpool. It seems another lifetime ago.

    Of course I wish we could all be here in person today…but I want to thank everyone at the Fabian Society for making this happen – virtually – today.

    There’s no getting away from it: 2020 was an awful year. And 2021 hasn’t started any better. We’re in the darkest moments of the pandemic – 1,000 people are dying every day. Businesses are closed. Our high streets are empty. People can’t see their families or their loved ones.

    This wasn’t inevitable. And it isn’t bad luck

    What we’re seeing now is the consequences of the PM’s decisions during those crucial days in December. When he ignored the science and was so slow to act.

    It’s a national tragedy. And we need a national effort now to get through this.

    But amid all the darkness there are two reasons to be optimistic:

    First, the vaccine. Second, in four days’ time, Trump will no longer be President.

    And it’s the second of those I want to talk about today. Because, this isn’t a normal transition of power from one President to another. The pictures on our TVs in the last few weeks make that clear. The outgoing President is in the middle of being impeached: charged with incitement to violence, no less. And the US is more divided than at any time I can remember.

    Amid all that, this is a moment of huge optimism. Of hope winning out over hate.

    And it can also be a turning point. Not just in America but also for Britain’s relationship with the US, and for global politics

    Last week I set out Labour’s immediate policy priorities for this year. And I’m going to be saying much more in the coming weeks about Britain’s role in the world. I also want to thank Lisa Nandy – who’s speaking here this afternoon – for all the work she’s doing on this.

    Today, I want to set out the principles that will drive us.

    First, Labour’s foreign policy will always be rooted in our values. We’re proudly patriotic. And we’re proudly internationalist too. I believe that after a decade of global retreat Britain needs to be a far stronger and more confident voice on the international stage.

    Because even before the pandemic we faced huge global challenges from the rise of authoritarianism whether in Russia or China; from nationalist, xenophobic populism whether in Europe, South America and the US as well as global terrorism, rising poverty, inequality and human rights abuse, plus, of course, the single biggest foreign policy challenge of our time: the climate emergency.

    Faced with that, I don’t believe Britain should step back from our international responsibilities, pull up the drawbridge, retreat. Or to break our promises to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.

    It’s why I’m so angry – and why Britain should be so ashamed – that Boris Johnson has broken his manifesto promise to keep the 0.7% target for international aid.

    That decision will harm Britain’s standing, reduce our global reach and of course it betrays our commitment to the world’s poorest. Instead, I believe Britain can – and must – be a moral force for good in the world. Self-confident, outward-looking and optimistic. Building global coalitions for social, economic and climate justice. Protecting global human rights. Championing international development. Trading with the world. And leading the fight against climate change.

    That’s the vision I have of global Britain – a country that keeps our word and defends international law.

    But of course, we can only achieve that if we work with our global partners, if we strengthen international institutions – NATO, the UN, the WHO, and if we’re clear and confident about our values.

    I care passionately about this. I was a human rights lawyer for 20 years and I worked in many countries around the world so defending human rights and international law will always be incredibly important to me. It’s also clear to me that all the major problems we face, including of course a global vaccine programme, can only be solved if countries work together.

    Britain hosts the G7 this year. That’s a huge opportunity to shape the recovery, to bring countries together, in order to secure and rebuild our economy and to repair our climate.

    Britain needs to seize this chance to lead in the world again. Just as Blair and Brown did over global poverty and the financial crisis, that’s what Britain can achieve. #

    But Boris Johnson has spent the last few years cosying up to people who don’t have Britain’s interests at heart – thumbing his nose at our friends, breaking international law and courting the idea that he’s “Britain’s Trump”.

    As a result he’s on the wrong side of the times and he’s out of step with Britain’s interests. And just when Britain needs to be leading the global recovery Johnson has left us isolated from those we have stood shoulder to shoulder with over the past century.

    Our job now is to repair that breach and to rebuild alliances. So you can see why I’m counting down the days to a new President in the White House. In particular, one who is also internationalist, multilateralist and wants to work together on tackling issues such as the climate emergency.

    In short, a President who is everything that we haven’t seen for the last four years.

    Our relationship with the US matters to me enormously. I’m anti-Trump but I’m pro-American. And I’m incredibly optimistic about the new relationship we can build with President Biden.

    America is our most important security ally, we have a shared history, we face shared challenges and so many of our citizens have families on both sides of the Atlantic.

    So it’s crucial that we also have a strong future together on everything from global security, climate change, aid and trade.

    I believe that Britain’s national interest lies in once again being the bridge between the US and the rest of Europe. I believe we’re at our strongest when we link our two closest partners together, when we are confident in our shared values and when we work as one to achieve our common goals:

    Strengthening the global economy

    Delivering social justice and

    Fighting climate change

    I know that Labour can do that, to be pro-American, pro-European and internationalist. Looking out to the world, defending our values and building strong alliances.

    But after ten years of Conservative government, after Trump, and after Brexit, it’s clear that both parts of that bridge need urgent repairs.

    First, this Government’s relationship with the incoming administration won’t be helped by how close Boris Johnson and his Cabinet were to President Trump.

    Remember in May 2018 when Boris Johnson said that Trump should be candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize? He wasn’t a backbencher then or a columnist. He was Foreign Secretary.

    Of course, Michael Gove went to Trump Towers to do a fawning interview and the Defence Secretary – Ben Wallace – gave an interview just a few weeks ago saying how he would “miss” President Trump.

    Personally, I don’t think that’s how you show how pro-American are you, stand up for our national interest or defend British values. And it is certainly isn’t my idea of how to build alliances.

    And then there’s the second part of the bridge we need to rebuild: with the rest of Europe.

    I’ve spent the last three conferences here talking about Brexit so I’m not sure you want to hear too much about it again! But I do want to say this:

    We have left the EU – that issue is now settled – but we will always be European and I, and the Labour Party, will always be an internationalist party. We can now write a new chapter with our European friends and partners and build on the deal that’s been agreed.

    I want that to be a close economic relationship rooted in our values, based on high standards and with protections for businesses, for working people and the environment.

    Of course, Boris Johnson will never do that. He wants something completely different from Brexit. To deregulate, to lower standards, to slash rights.

    And we’re already seeing that workers’ rights are at risk. The 48-hour week and the Working Time Directive could be ripped up. Of course that would break clear and repeated promises by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. But when has that stopped them?

    Labour and the trade union movement will fight this tooth and nail. We’ll always stand up for workers’ rights and environmental protections. And we’ll make the case that a strong, close relationship with Europe is still possible. Not as members, but as partners and that Labour would build that in government.

    Breaking down barriers to trade for our businesses and protecting rights for working people.

    These are incredibly turbulent times in British and global politics. But there is cause for optimism. And I know that Labour can set a new path for this country – patriotic, internationalist and rooted in our values.

    Boris Johnson has left us isolated and alienated from our allies but I know Labour can rebuild both parts of that bridge:

    Working closely with a new US President

    Building a strong relationship with Europe

    And making Britain – once again – a moral force for good in the world.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Resignation of Richard Leonard

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Resignation of Richard Leonard

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 14 January 2021.

    I would like to thank Richard for his service to our party and his unwavering commitment to the values he believes in.

    Richard has led Scottish Labour through one of the most challenging and difficult periods in our country’s history, including a general election and the pandemic.

    Even from opposition he has achieved a considerable amount for which he should be very proud. This includes securing a commitment for the creation of a national care service, securing action on a Jobs Guarantee Scheme to deal with youth unemployment, securing a human-rights based public inquiry into the treatment of care home residents during the COVID pandemic and securing support for a Fair Rents Bill to give new rights to tenants.

    He has done so with dedication to the values of our movement.

    I wish Richard the very best for the future as one of our MSPs and know that he will continue to play an important role in Scottish Labour.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Climate Emergency

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Comments on the Climate Emergency

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 12 January 2021.

    Tackling the climate emergency is the defining challenge of the next decade. It must be at the heart of our rebuild from this pandemic. The way we rebuild will determine the kind of society we live in, and the kind of planet we live on, for generations to come.

    If we get this right, the fight against the climate emergency can create huge opportunities for our country. From good jobs in the industries of the future, to improved health and wellbeing and a more resilient natural world. That’s why Labour has called for a world-leading Green Economic Recovery; to protect jobs and communities as well as our planet.

    Warm words from the Prime Minister have not been backed up with climate action at the level required. The climate emergency will be central to Labour’s agenda both now and at the next election. I was delighted to meet with climate and environmental leaders today to reiterate that commitment.