Keir Starmer speech: Labour leader to quote Tony Blair in pitch for power
- Published
Sir Keir prepares to deliver his big conference speech
Labour is back in the centre ground of British politics and ready to offer the country a "fresh start" under his leadership, Sir Keir Starmer will say.
In his speech to his party's annual conference, Sir Keir will claim to have transformed Labour into a party in tune with the majority of voters.
He will accuse the government of losing control of the economy.
And he will quote predecessor Sir Tony Blair, who once described Labour as the "political wing of the British people".
Sir Tony was the last Labour leader to win a majority at a general election.
Sir Keir hopes to be the next Labour leader to win an election, by following a Blairite strategy of distancing himself from the left and stressing his economic competence.
Labour's conference has been overshadowed by economic turmoil, as the markets reacted to Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's plan to borrow billions to fund tax cuts.
In his speech, Sir Keir will say: "What we've seen from the government in the past few days has no precedent.
"They've lost control of the British economy - and for what? For tax cuts for the richest 1% in our society."
'Fight the Tories'
Sir Keir's strategy to boost growth includes a green prosperity plan to create a million new jobs in towns and cities across the country.
He will pledge to bring down energy bills, raise living standards and tackle the climate crisis, within 100 days of forming a government.
According to the Daily Mirror, external, the Labour leader will also promise to boost home ownership, setting a target for 70% of the population to own their own home in the first five years of a Labour government.
In a move to occupy traditional Tory territory, the newspaper said he would brand Labour "the party of home ownership in Britain today".
And he will tell delegates in Liverpool he is ready to "fight the Tories on economic growth" with a plan to "turn the UK into a growth superpower" by investing heavily in green energy projects.
Sir Keir will argue "we cannot afford to miss out" on the opportunity to lead the world in renewable energy, electric vehicles and harnessing new hydrogen power.
He will also claim that Labour is now the party of "sound money".
The context to everything here in Liverpool is the situation in the markets and fears about the economy.
Labour see that as an opportunity. The party, we're told, relishes the chance to have an ideological debate about how to grow the economy.
Expect to hear a lot of that from Sir Keir Starmer this afternoon. He wants to be seen as a political centrist in the mould of Tony Blair. It's a non-too-subtle way of telling voters Labour has changed from the Jeremy Corbyn years.
There's a mood of optimism here. Maybe even confidence. Labour thinks it's in a good place politically and has a strong chance of forming the next government.
There's a question though: is that because its ideas are exciting the electorate, or is Labour's popularity more because of concern about the government and the economy? And in that sense, if the government does succeed in driving economic growth, is Labour's situation actually quite uncertain?
This is only the second time Sir Keir has addressed Labour conference as leader. He'll strike a personal tone, talking about how being a father inspires his politics.
Can he capture the public mood and address suggestions he can sometimes be a bit dull? We'll find out this afternoon.
A Labour spokesman said echoing Sir Tony Blair is an intentional move to show that Labour is "back in the centre ground" and in the "mainstream" of public opinion.
"Ultimately he wants to be the next Labour leader who takes the party from opposition into government," the spokesman said.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper also echoed a Blair-era slogan in her conference speech, saying a Labour government would be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime", as she set out plans to put 13,000 more police officers on the streets.
Labour's shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: "I feel more confident about Labour's ability to take over government than at any point since the last Labour government."
Speaking to BBC Breakfast he said: "The biggest risk for the country isn't change with Labour - it's continuity with the Conservatives."
But he also said he didn't want people to vote for Labour as the "least worst option".
"I want people to vote for Labour because we've got a serious plan with a serious team and people believe we will make a difference for people."
In his speech, Sir Keir will cite the respectful tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II at the start of the conference on Sunday, as an example of how much the party has changed since he took over in 2019.
Labour: National anthem sung in tribute to Queen
Some Labour delegates were unhappy about Sir Keir's decision to lead a chorus of God Save the King but criticism from the left of the party has so far been more muted than last year, when Sir Keir was heckled during his keynote speech.
In this year's speech, Sir Keir will declare that Labour will get the UK "out of this endless cycle of crisis with a fresh start, a new set of priorities and a new way of governing".
"We should never be left cowering in a brace position, worrying about how to get through a winter. It's time for Britain to stand tall again," he will say.
Sir Keir has pledged to reverse the abolition of the top rate of tax income, but would keep the chancellor's reduction of the bottom rate to 19p in the pound.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has said her fiscal rules set out that increased borrowing is permitted during national emergencies.
But Diane Abbott, a long-standing supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, said she hoped the party leader would be campaigning for "radical policies".
The former shadow home secretary, who is not at the Labour Party conference this week, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there were "good signs" on Monday, adding that she hoped Sir Keir would not seek to distance himself from the trade union movement.