Latest updates: Labour leader to say he plans to move away from the ‘sticking plaster politics’ of short-term decision making
Good morning. Less than 24 hours after Rishi Sunak delivered a major ‘vision for Britain’ speech, Keir Starmer this morning will respond with his own. Labour has issued some extracts overnight and, in the preview, there are two dominant messages.
Starmer says the next Labour government will not be able to rely on big spending as the solution to the nation’s problems. He will say:
Let me be clear – none of this should be taken as code for Labour getting its big government chequebook out again.
Of course investment is required – I can see the damage the Tories have done to our public services as plainly as anyone. But we won’t be able to spend our way out of their mess – it’s not as easy as that. There is no substitute for a robust private sector, creating wealth in every community.
Starmer will also promise a “completely new way of governing”, with no more “sticking plaster politics”. He will say:
This new year, let us imagine what we could achieve if we match the ambition of the British people, unlock their pride and their purpose, give them an economy and a politics they deserve.
That’s why I say Britain needs a completely new way of governing. You can’t overstate how much a short-term mindset dominates Westminster. And from there, how it infects all the institutions which try and fail to run Britain from the centre …
Rishi Sunak is poised to announce legislation to enforce “minimum service levels” in six sectors, including the health service, rail, education, fire and border security.
The laws, which will be announced as soon as today, will require a proportion of union members to continue working to retain a “minimum level” of service.
