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Tag: Keir Starmer

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Article in the Sunday Telegraph

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Article in the Sunday Telegraph

    The article by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, in the Sunday Telegraph on 13 September 2020.

    Let’s Get Brexit Done. That was the promise the Prime Minister made to the British people on the steps of Downing Street hours after last year’s General Election.

    I accept that the leave-remain divide is over. The country needs – and wants – to move on. That is why it is in the best interests of the British people to negotiate a trade deal with Europe.

    It is what the public want, it is what they were promised and it is what they expect to be delivered. I believe a deal is possible too. The outstanding issues are difficult, but they are not insurmountable. An agreement can be struck if both sides hunker down in good faith and break the logjam.

    And yet, it is this Prime Minister and this Conservative Government who have turned the clock back and are reigniting old rows.

    I am not blind to the fact this could be part of the Government’s negotiating strategy in the final weeks of talks. We were repeatedly told last year that the talks were on the brink of collapse, only for a breakthrough or concession from the Government to come a few days later. That is part and parcel of what we have come to expect from Brexit.

    However, the decision to propose a Bill last week that would break an international agreement we signed a matter of months ago is wrong. Many former leaders of the Conservative Party have spoken out to say so. And I suspect the Prime Minister agrees with them and knows his actions are counterproductive.

    First, public trust has been broken. The deal the Prime Minister promised would be done is now being reopened. The divisions within the Conservative Party are being reignited. And at a time when we are all doing everything we can do to follow social distancing rules, ministers are on the television and radio justifying why it is ok for them to break international law. It is as ludicrous as it is frustrating.

    We have broken the trust of our global partners too. I believe we can be a proud nation on the world stage and a moral force for good. We can work with our international partners to strike the best possible trade deals. But, the Prime Minister risks holding Global Britain back. How can we get the best trade deals when we cannot be trusted to keep our word?

    The Labour Party I lead will always speak out in the national interest. I want the talks with Europe to succeed. I have long argued that it is possible to get a deal that can allow businesses to thrive, good jobs to be created and peace in Northern Ireland to be preserved. I want to see our own union of nations –England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – protected too.

    People want to move on from this torturous debate; they want to see a deal done so we can focus as a united nation on how we protect ourselves from the next wave of the pandemic.

    We have all been alarmed by the sharp increase in coronavirus cases in recent days. We have all heard heart-breaking stories from friends or family members who have struggled to get a test. The anxiety we all felt at the start of this pandemic is returning. People are scared about what the next few months might bring, how the virus can be contained, how our economy can be protected and jobs can be saved. Our focus, the Government’s focus, must be on this.

    I want ministers to be fixing the test, track and isolate system. I want to see a plan for how we can protect our care homes from a second wave, support families who are worried about their jobs and make sure children can still get the education they need. Those are my priorities. The priorities of the British people. We should be getting on with defeating this virus, not banging on about Europe.

    Get on with Brexit and defeat the virus. That should be the Government’s mantra.

    Labour is prepared to play its part in making that happen. If the Government fixes the substantial cross-party concerns that have been raised about the Internal Market Bill, then we are prepared to back it. But if they do not, and the talk collapse, then it is their failure and incompetence that will have let the British people down.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on the Future for Young People

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on the Future for Young People

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 31 August 2020.

    For millions of families across England, this week will be a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

    Excitement for children who will be back in the classroom for the first time in months. But, anxiety for teachers and parents about a year ahead that is full of uncertainty because of a pandemic that continues to cast its shadow over children’s education.

    I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary dedication of our teachers and school staff who have worked tirelessly over the summer to make sure schools can reopen safely.

    Labour want and expect children to be back at school. Every day that schools were closed was a day of opportunity, learning and support lost. This situation was worsened by the exams fiasco and the Government’s chaotic approach to education.

    We cannot keep repeating those same mistakes. Young people’s futures cannot be held back by the Conservatives’ incompetence.

    That is why the Education Secretary must come to Parliament to tell us how he will protect our children’s futures. He needs to explain how he will make up for the damage already done, bring pupils up to speed and mitigate against the ongoing risk from the pandemic.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Eviction Ban

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Eviction Ban

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 21 August 2020.

    This eleventh hour U-turn was necessary, but such a brief extension means there is a real risk that this will simply give renters a few more weeks to pack their bags.

    Boris Johnson has been warned for months about the looming evictions crisis, but stuck his head in the sand.

    People living in rented accommodation should not be paying the price for this Government’s incompetence.

    Section 21 evictions must be scrapped and renters must be given proper support. The ban should not be lifted until the Government has a credible plan to ensure that no-one loses their home as a result of coronavirus.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government U-Turn on Exam Results

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government U-Turn on Exam Results

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 17 August 2020.

    The Government has had months to sort out exams and has now been forced into a screeching U-turn after days of confusion.

    This is a victory for the thousands of young people who have powerfully made their voices heard this past week.

    However, the Tories’ handling of this situation has been a complete fiasco.

    Incompetence has become this Government’s watchword, whether that is on schools, testing or care homes.

    Boris Johnson’s failure to lead is holding Britain back.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government’s “Exam Fiasco”

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government’s “Exam Fiasco”

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 14 August 2020.

    Across the last twenty four hours we have heard heartbreaking stories and the scale of the injustice caused by the fatally flawed results system has become clear.

    Young people and parents right across the country, in every town and city, feel let down and betrayed. Claims from the Schools Minister this week were grossly misleading.

    The unprecedented and chaotic circumstances created by the UK Government’s mishandling of education during recent months mean that a return to teacher assessments is now the best option available. No young person should be at a detriment due to Government incompetence.

    Time is running out. We need action in days, not weeks. That also means an urgent technical review of the standardisation model ahead of GCSE results next week. We need to end this fiasco.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Death of John Hume

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Death of John Hume

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 3 August 2020.

    It is deeply saddening to hear of the death of John Hume.

    Life across the island of Ireland is peaceful and more prosperous today because of his courage, vision and determination. He guided away from violence and towards justice, tolerance and democracy. He takes his rightful place in the pantheon of leaders whose legacy is of creating a better world for the next generation.

    My thoughts, and those of the Labour movement, are with Pat, John, Mo and the Hume Family.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Support for Domestic Tourism

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Support for Domestic Tourism

    Comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 28 July 2020.

    We are lucky to have many world-class tourist destinations across the UK. But the jobs crisis facing tourist towns is stark.

    There are fantastic domestic options for British holidaymakers, but the crucial summer season has been cut short. With many businesses still unable to reopen fully, the Government’s one-size-fits-all approach to jobs risks these towns falling through the cracks.

    We need a targeted extension of the furlough scheme for the hardest-hit sectors and proper support in place to help those who are unemployed back into work. People are worried about their job prospects. The Labour Party is focused on fighting for every job and every part of the country.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Summer Support for Parents

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Summer Support for Parents

    The text of the comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 19 July 2020.

    We all want society to get moving again, but it requires a clear plan and national leadership from the government. Despite ordering millions of parents back to the office, the Prime Minister has refused to provide any extra help for families, penalising parents by putting them in an impossible position.

    Parents got a back-to-work notice on Friday just as the summer holidays began. But they got no support for structured activities, no summer catch-up schemes, and no support for a childcare sector on its knees.

    If we are going to reopen our society and economy safely and successfully, we need the public to have confidence in the government’s advice, we need test, track and trace to be working properly, and we need proper support for children to learn and for parents to get back to work.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Prime Minister’s Statement

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Prime Minister’s Statement

    The text of the comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 17 July 2020.

    We all want society to reopen, we all want our economy to start growing again. So we’ll look at the details of this plan. But the key now is confidence. Do the public have confidence in the measures the Government have put in place? Do businesses have confidence in the advice that’s been given? And can we have confidence that the Government’s scientific advisers support these measures? This can’t be done on a wing and a prayer. It requires a credible plan, and national leadership.

    On local lockdowns:

    Labour has long been arguing that we need local control of lockdown. We need data to our local representatives, our local authorities. They need the powers to take the necessary measures. This is what will drive confidence, and this work with local authorities should have be done a long time ago.

    Mayors across the country, local authority leaders across the country, are saying what we need is the data so we know precisely what’s going on, on a day-to-day basis, on a street-by-street basis, or we need the power to take action, rapidly. That’s what they want most of all.

    On NHS winter funding:

    What I didn’t hear from the Prime Minister this morning was any extra money and funding for social care. And what we can’t do again is to leave social care out of the priorities as we go into the autumn and the winter. So where was the money for social care?

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Social Care

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Social Care

    Text of the comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 16 July 2020.

    The Government’s failure to protect our care homes at the start of the pandemic was a national shame. I pay tribute to care staff who did everything they could but were left without tests or protective equipment.

    An independent inquiry was always inevitable. But the Prime Minister must now guarantee that social care will be a key area of focus for that inquiry.

    We also need action now ahead of a possible second wave this winter. We need to get to the bottom of what happened in care homes so that lessons can be learned, and lives can be saved. We cannot afford for the same mistakes to be made again.