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Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer will give a speech on Thursday to outline the first steps the government will take if it wins the next general election.
The event in Essex, attended by many members of the shadow cabinet, comes after the party won control of eight new councils in local elections and took over the West Midlands mayoralty from the Conservatives. This was done in response to the good results of
Mr Starmer told the shadow cabinet ahead of his speech that the pledge was a “down payment on change” and would be “part of a long-term plan to get Britain back on its feet”.
“Each of our first steps will respond to the aspirations of voters and provide clear priorities and strong direction,” he said.
The new pledge is reminiscent of Tony Blair’s pledge card, which won him a landslide election victory in 1997.
However, all pledges included in the card have been announced in advance. Here are the details:
achieve economic stability
written oath: “Achieve financial stability with strict spending rules to grow your economy and keep taxes, inflation, and mortgages as low as possible. ”
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has long vowed that Labor will run a “responsible government” that operates under strict tax and spending rules.
The toughness of these rules has led the party to scale back some of its past pledges, including plans to invest £38bn in green energy, citing the difficult economic conditions it will face when it comes to power. I have already stopped doing that.
One of the Conservatives’ main lines of attack on Labor is to accuse the party of under-funding spending promises and of having “no plan” for many of its major pledges.
Labor may be hoping to counter this perception, and past criticism of the party’s handling of the economy after the 2008 financial crisis, by putting a promise of economic stability at the top of its pledge card. do not have.
In a speech to business leaders last week, Mr Reeves said he was under “no illusions” about the “scale of the legacy” Labor faced if it won the next election, adding that it would take time to turn things around. However, he said the following: She would “enjoy the opportunity.”
Reduce NHS waiting times
written oath: “By clamping down on tax avoidance and non-MoD loopholes, we will increase the number of bookings made by more than 40,000 every week on nights and weekends and reduce NHS waiting times. ”
Labor first announced plans to cut NHS waiting times in October 2023, pledging to spend £1.1 billion a year and create two million extra appointments. This equates to just under 40,000 bookings per week.
The party says NHS workers will be given better overtime pay for working nights and weekends, with the extra cost to be paid for by closing tax loopholes.
One of the big funders of this reform was to abolish non-dom tax status, but Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt announced in the spring budget that he would replace it with a “fairer” system, and the Conservatives pushed them through.
But Labor said it would go further than the Conservatives by filling remaining gaps in the system, which it claims allows wealthy people to avoid paying inheritance tax on overseas assets held in offshore trusts.
The party insists the money is still sufficient to fund NHS plans, and its high position on the pledge card is likely to reflect the importance of the issue to many people.
Latest ONS figures suggest as many as 9.7 million people are waiting for an NHS appointment, while official NHS figures for January put the total at 7.6 million.
launch a new border guard
written oath: “Establish a new Border Patrol Command with hundreds of new specialized agents and use your counterterrorism powers to destroy criminal boat gangs.”
Following the defection of Conservative MP Natalie Elphike to Labor last week, Mr Starmer held an event in Dover where he reaffirmed many of his party’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration.
It was also announced for the first time that Labor would create a new border force to help tackle criminal organizations using “counter-terrorism style tactics”.
The head of the agency will reportedly report directly to the Home Secretary and work closely with the National Crime Agency, MI5, Border Force, CPS International and the Immigration Enforcement Agency.
Other promises made by Labor in the past on this issue include establishing a 1,000-strong Return and Enforcement Force to ensure the swift deportation of failed asylum seekers and migrants who have no right to remain in the UK; It includes things to do.
A cross-border police force will also be established to “pursue smugglers and human trafficking rings that threaten the security of our country’s borders and endanger lives.”
Much of Labour’s plan comes in direct response to the government’s long-delayed plan to expel Rwanda, which is due to begin in June.
Labor has previously said it would abolish the scheme if elected to government, but did not commit to grounding already scheduled flights.
Establishing Great British Energy
written oath: “We will create Great British Energy, a clean utility electricity company, funded by a windfall tax on big oil and gas, to reduce bills and strengthen energy security.”
Plans to create a publicly owned energy company were first announced by Mr Starmer in a speech to the 2022 Labor Party conference, in which he claimed Great British Energy would be set up within a year of the party’s government.
He said at the time that the company was “going to take advantage of the UK’s clean power opportunity… because it’s good for jobs, it’s good for growth and it’s good for energy independence from tyrants like Putin.” Ta.
The party claimed the company would receive £8bn in seed capital from the government’s National Wealth Fund to be set up, but would ultimately benefit in the long term.
Labor will set up Great British Energy to save households £93 billion by delivering cheaper energy bills, while helping Britain move towards net-zero emissions by 2030. , which it claims will create jobs and ensure the country’s energy security.
Crackdown on anti-social behavior
written oath: “Let’s pay for more neighborhood police and crack down on anti-social behavior by abolishing wasteful contracts, introducing tough new penalties for offenders and creating a new network of youth hubs. ”
Labor first set out plans to crack down on anti-social behavior in December 2022, and several announcements have since been made about the party’s plans for community policing.
Shadow Attorney General Steve Reid said. times At the end of 2022, the party announced it would increase the use of social punishment to tackle recidivism rates.
At the 2023 Labor Party conference, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to support teenagers at risk of becoming involved in crime or facing mental health problems. The party announced that it would introduce a national network of Young Futures Hubs.
In his 2023 party conference speech, Mr Starmer also called for a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behavior, putting more than 13,000 neighborhood police officers and community support workers on the streets, and cracking down on shoplifting. The party’s “security guarantee for local communities” was proposed.
Hired 6,500 new teachers
written oath: “To prepare children for life, work and the future, we will hire 6,500 new teachers in key subjects, paid for by removing tax breaks for private schools. ”
Labor has long promised to use money from private school fees plus VAT to hire more teachers, using a figure of 6,500 from at least 2022.
At that year’s party conference, party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds set out plans for a review of Labour’s ‘Stronger Together’ policy, including the creation of a ‘National Excellence Programme’ to recruit 6,500 new teachers. Ta.
The party subsequently confirmed that recruitment would be funded by the removal of tax breaks for private schools, which the party estimates would free up £1.7 billion to improve education standards across the state.
Labor has announced it will recruit more teachers and give new teachers a £2,400 bonus to discourage them from leaving their jobs.