EPASir Keir Starmer has made new promises to improve living standards and reduce NHS waiting times in a keynote speech.
The prime minister said his “transformation plan”, which included six targets covering the economy, housebuilding, health service, policing and pre-school education, would “empower the British people to hold our feet to the fire”. “.
He called the plan “ambitious” and said hitting the targets in the next five years would be “a great challenge”.
However, the Conservatives criticized Sir Keir for not including a “solid” target on immigration and accused him of backtracking on an earlier pledge to decarbonise the electricity grid.
In his speech at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, Sir Kerr acknowledged that achieving his goals would require “trade-offs” and “difficult decisions”.
But he said without preferences “you get nothing”.
Targeting the civil service, the PM said “too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in a warm bath of systematic cuts”.
The targets – which the government is calling “milestones” – give more detail on how Labor intends to achieve the five “missions” set out in its election manifesto.
Six “Milestones”What the government aims to achieve by 2029 when the next elections are likely to be held are:
- Raising living standards in every part of the UK, as part of the government’s aim to deliver the most sustainable economic growth in the G7 group of rich countries.
- 1.5 million homes to be built and accelerated planning decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects in England
- Reducing hospital backlogs to meet the NHS target that 92% of patients in England do not wait more than 18 weeks for planned treatment.
- A designated police officer for every borough in England and Wales, with the recruitment of 13,000 additional officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and special constables.
- Increasing the proportion of children in England who are “ready to learn” when they start school at age five, to 75%
- Putting the country on a path of at least 95% clean energy by 2030
Some of the promises, including hiring more police officers and building 1.5 million homes, restate existing commitments.
However, they highlight the areas that the government wants to prioritize in the coming years.
It also tries to communicate to voters how they will personally benefit from a Labor government.
While the goal remains to achieve the most sustainable economic growth in the G7, there is now also the promise of raising living standards.
However, the government’s plan does not set a specific numerical target for this, stating only that it will be measured by higher real household disposable income (RHDI) and GDP per capita in each area of the UK.
RHDI is what people forgo from their salary and benefits after paying taxes, while GDP is a measure of the size of the economy.
Sir Keir has faced criticism from both the Conservatives and Reform UK for not including a milestone on migration, with Tory leader Kimmy Bedenock claiming the government has “no plan to control the numbers”.
In his speech, the prime minister said the government would reduce both legal and illegal migration, without giving figures.
Fielding questions from reporters afterwards, the PM insisted he was not prioritizing the issue but said an “arbitrary” cap on immigration would not work under the Conservatives.
He said the government had a “serious plan” to reduce the numbers, including tackling smuggling gangs behind small boat passages.
Sir Keir added that border security was a “fundamental principle” that any government must meet, while his missions were “on top of that”.
He also refused to back down on his party’s previous promise on green energy.
Labour’s election manifesto promised “zero carbon electricity by 2030”, while its new milestone set a target of “at least 95%”.
The government insisted that the two statements were identical.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “We originally made the choice when we launched the Clean Power Mission that there would always be a strategic back-up stockpile of gas, and that always meant very little. A percentage would be, but a percentage nonetheless, gas.”
Badenoch described Sir Kerr’s speech as an “emergency reset”, which “confirmed that Labor had been in opposition for 14 years and was still not ready for government”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said “people want real change, not just a government moving the goalposts”.
He said it was “disturbing” that there was no clear plan in place to ensure people could see a GP when they needed it, adding: “GP services are being neglected. “Promising to bring down waiting lists is like robbing Peter to pay.”