Keir Starmer’s speech: Five things to watch for
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will make his speech at the party’s annual conference in Liverpool this afternoon in a bid to convince voters he can win the next general election.
The get-together has seen senior Labour figures pledge to work closely with businesses, and shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves announce a “fiscal lock” on big budget changes.
Starmer’s speech, slated for 2pm on Tuesday, will be a major moment for him to define himself as a politician — and a potential future prime minister.
Here are five things we can expect from his address.
New towns
Housing — and the lack of it — has been a key political focus for a long time and Labour are keen to own the issue.
The Times reported Starmer will announce plans to build “Georgian-style townhouses”, create a string of new towns, and redefine some green-belt land as so-called “grey-belt”.
Labour has previously said it is the party of “the builders, not the blockers”.
Pro-union
In comments released to the media overnight, Starmer’s team confirmed he will focus on the importance of the United Kingdom as a union.
It follows Labour’s stonking win in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, which boosted the party’s hopes it can reclaim significant territory in Scotland.
Starmer will say the result has shown Labour can unite all the nations of Britain, “reigniting the flame” to “face a modern age of insecurity” together.
Devolution
Devolving power from Westminster is also set to be a key theme. According to reports in the Guardian, Starmer would give new powers and funding to all towns and cities in England.
It would mark the biggest expansion of devolution since Labour was last in power, with councils and local authorities given more control over housing and planning, skills, energy and transport, similarly to London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester.
“We must win the war against the hoarders in Westminster,” Starmer will reportedly say, adding: “Give power back and put communities in control.”
Shoplifting crackdown
Another official announcement is the launch of Labour’s community policing guarantee.
Starmer will tell conference his party will get “more police in your town, fighting antisocial behaviour, taking back our streets”.
The measures will include guaranteed town centre patrols, 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the streets, tougher action on shoplifting, and zero tolerance zones.
While the Labour leader is set to “call time on wasteful police procurement”.
Two terms in office?
And finally, last night, Labour hinted that Starmer could be looking at a decade in power.
The party leader will pledge to get Britain its future back — Labour’s conference slogan — and say that his five missions will transform the lives of working people.
Starmer says Labour will “turn our backs on never-ending Tory decline with a decade of national renewal” and give the British people the “government they deserve.”
The five missions are: growth for higher living standards; being a clean energy superpower, making an NHS fit for the future; safer streets and stronger policing; and breaking down the barriers to opportunities.