Keir Starmer branded 'son of Thatcher' over trade union pay warning
Hamish Morrison
Mon 9 September 2024
Keir Starmer pictured during an interview with the BBC
Mon 9 September 2024
Keir Starmer pictured during an interview with the BBC
(Image: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire)
KEIR Starmer will warn trade unionists against pushing for more pay bumps as he says his Government “will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances”.
In a warning shot to the unions, the Prime Minister will use a keynote speech at the Trades Union Congress in Brighton on Tuesday to say that “pay will inevitably be shaped” by the “tough decisions on the horizon”.
His speech will come on the day Labour whips attempt to stifle an expected rebellion on axing the Winter Fuel Payment.
While the Government’s plans are expected to pass, many Labour MPs are unhappy about the changes, which will strip around 10 million pensioners of a payment worth up to £300 to help with their energy costs.
Starmer will seek to frame his pay warning in similar terms to how Labour have attempted to justify radically scaling down the Winter Fuel Payment, a measure expected to save £1.4 billion per year.
KEIR Starmer will warn trade unionists against pushing for more pay bumps as he says his Government “will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances”.
In a warning shot to the unions, the Prime Minister will use a keynote speech at the Trades Union Congress in Brighton on Tuesday to say that “pay will inevitably be shaped” by the “tough decisions on the horizon”.
His speech will come on the day Labour whips attempt to stifle an expected rebellion on axing the Winter Fuel Payment.
While the Government’s plans are expected to pass, many Labour MPs are unhappy about the changes, which will strip around 10 million pensioners of a payment worth up to £300 to help with their energy costs.
Starmer will seek to frame his pay warning in similar terms to how Labour have attempted to justify radically scaling down the Winter Fuel Payment, a measure expected to save £1.4 billion per year.
He will say: “I do have to make clear, from a place of respect, that this Government will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances. And with tough decisions on the horizon, pay will inevitably be shaped by that.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer panned as he claims Labour are 'going to have to be unpopular'
“I owe you that candour because – as was so painfully exposed by the last government - when you lose control of the economy it’s working people who pay the price.”
Labour have previously said that not getting rid of the Winter Fuel Payment would have resulted in a “run on the pound”, a claim for which the party was criticised as “desperate”.
But Starmer’s comments also appear to be a response to criticism from the Tories that Labour are awarding “inflation-busting pay rises to their union paymasters” while raiding pensioners’ benefits.
He will say: “The crisis we have inherited means we must go deep into the marrow of our institutions, rewrite the rules of our economy and fix the foundations so we can build a new home.
“A country where growth not only comes from the enterprise of working people, but where growth serves the interests of working people.
“Living standards rising, not just because we are redistributing from prosperous parts of the country but because we are growing the economy in every community.”
Elsewhere, he will commit to Labour’s watered-down programme to improve workers’ rights and the repeal of the Tories’ tough anti-trade union laws.
But his remarks have already drawn fierce criticism, with the Alba Party describing the Prime Minister as “the son of Thatcher”.
Chris McEleny, the party’s general secretary, said: “His comments are no different than you would expect from a Conservative chancellor never mind a Labour prime minister.
“Not a day goes by that the change Labour promised evaporates into a cloud of continuity Westminster.”
Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: "Sir Keir Starmer ran an election campaign that promised to do almost nothing, and has failed to even hit that pathetically low bar.
"The workers that Starmer says are not worth a proper pay rise are the same frontline workers who got us through lockdown and have supported us every day since. They go above and beyond for us every day and provide the services we all rely on.
"If it is a choice between those workers or Keir Starmer then I know which side I am on.
"The Tories made working people pay the price for their financial recklessness and ineptitude and Labour is doing the same. The cost of living crisis wasn't caused by trade unions or the workers they represent, it was caused by Downing Street and their super wealthy friends."
Keir Starmer says Tories 'salted the earth' as he issues pay deal warning
Keir Starmer will tell the TUC Congress that it will be hard to fix to the mess left behind by the Tories, as he warned unions that tough choices lay ahead on pay
Keir Starmer will warn of 'tough decisions on the horizon' (
By Lizzy Buchan
THE MIRROR
Deputy Political Editor
9 Sep 2024
Keir Starmer will say the Tories "salted the earth of Britain's future to serve themselves" as he warns critics that changing the country will take time.
In a speech to union leaders today, the Prime Minister will warn that it will be hard to fix to the Tories' mess, which he said was worse than he'd ever imagined. His comments come amid intense pressure on the Government to ditch its planned cut to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
"And I know there will always be disputes, but there is a mood of change in the business world, a growing understanding of the importance of good work and the shared self-interest that comes from treating the workforce with respect and dignity."
He will promise to end "cheap vindictive attacks" on trade unions and bring in vital workers rights reforms.
“We will keep to the course of change, reject the snake oil of easy answers, fix the foundations of our economy and build a new Britain," Mr Starmer will add.
Keir Starmer will say the Tories "salted the earth of Britain's future to serve themselves" as he warns critics that changing the country will take time.
In a speech to union leaders today, the Prime Minister will warn that it will be hard to fix to the Tories' mess, which he said was worse than he'd ever imagined. His comments come amid intense pressure on the Government to ditch its planned cut to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
"And I know there will always be disputes, but there is a mood of change in the business world, a growing understanding of the importance of good work and the shared self-interest that comes from treating the workforce with respect and dignity."
He will promise to end "cheap vindictive attacks" on trade unions and bring in vital workers rights reforms.
“We will keep to the course of change, reject the snake oil of easy answers, fix the foundations of our economy and build a new Britain," Mr Starmer will add.
Future pay deals will be shaped by tough decisions, Starmer to tell TUC
Heather Stewart and Pippa Crerar
Heather Stewart and Pippa Crerar
THE GUARDIAN
Mon 9 September 2024
Keir Starmer at a knife crime summit in Downing Street on Monday, the day before his speech to the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton.Photograph: Ian Vogler/Reuters
Keir Starmer will warn public sector unions on Tuesday that future pay deals will be constrained by the “tough choices” necessary to protect economic stability.
Soon after coming to power, Rachel Reeves signed off plans for above-inflation pay increases in the NHS and for teachers; and the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, settled a long-running dispute with train drivers.
But when he speaks at the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton, Starmer is expected to signal his government is likely to take a more stringent approach in future.
“I do have to make clear, from a place of respect, that this government will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances. And with tough decisions on the horizon, pay will inevitably be shaped by that,” he will say.
“I owe you that candour because, as was so painfully exposed by the last government, when you lose control of the economy it’s working people who pay the price.”
Union delegates in Brighton have hailed Labour’s plans for boosting workers’ rights but been less impressed with the party’s cautious approach to public spending.
At a private dinner for union leaders on Monday evening, Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, hailed the recent public sector pay deals as good for the economy, echoing the arguments made by Reeves at the time.
“We know stronger public services are necessary for stronger economic growth. The recent pay deal is crucial to both,” Rayner said. “Rachel’s decision to honour the recommendations of the pay review bodies is not just good for your members but for everyone who relies on our NHS and schools.”
She also highlighted Labour’s plans for increasing unions’ power in the workplace, as part of a historic package of measures to boost workers’ rights.
“This government isn’t afraid to say that we want to see stronger trade unions. Because this is a government in the service of working people. This is who I am, and this is what I will fight for,” she said.
Starmer will use his keynote speech on Tuesday – the first by a Labour prime minister to the TUC in 15 years – to urge unions to work hand in hand with business, to help the government rebuild the economy.
“Partnership is a more difficult way of doing politics. I know there’s clarity in the old ways, the zero-sum ways: business versus worker, management versus union, public versus private. That kind of politics is not what the British people want,” Starmer will say.
“When I say to the public our policies will be pro-business and pro-worker, they don’t look at me as if I’m deluded, they see it as the most ordinary, sensible thing in the world.”
Unions have become increasingly concerned in recent months about fierce lobbying from some business groups about the workers’ rights plans, which include protection from unfair dismissal from day one, and a ban on “fire and rehire”.
But the prime minister will insist there is a “mood of change” in the business world, which has seen companies embrace, “the shared self-interest that comes from treating the workforce with respect and dignity. The productivity gain of fairness which is an opportunity to be grasped”.
On Monday in Brighton, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, led delegates in cheering the names of senior Conservatives who had lost their seats on 4 July in what he called a “roll call of political failure”.
Nowak, whose grandfather was a Polish pilot in the RAF, also attacked the rightwing Reform party and its leader, Clacton MP Nigel Farage, for claiming to represent working people.
“Nigel Farage isn’t a friend of the working class. He’s a fraud. A public school educated, private equity loving, NHS privatising, Putin apologist fraud,” Nowak said.
Mon 9 September 2024
Keir Starmer at a knife crime summit in Downing Street on Monday, the day before his speech to the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton.Photograph: Ian Vogler/Reuters
Keir Starmer will warn public sector unions on Tuesday that future pay deals will be constrained by the “tough choices” necessary to protect economic stability.
Soon after coming to power, Rachel Reeves signed off plans for above-inflation pay increases in the NHS and for teachers; and the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, settled a long-running dispute with train drivers.
But when he speaks at the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton, Starmer is expected to signal his government is likely to take a more stringent approach in future.
“I do have to make clear, from a place of respect, that this government will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances. And with tough decisions on the horizon, pay will inevitably be shaped by that,” he will say.
“I owe you that candour because, as was so painfully exposed by the last government, when you lose control of the economy it’s working people who pay the price.”
Union delegates in Brighton have hailed Labour’s plans for boosting workers’ rights but been less impressed with the party’s cautious approach to public spending.
At a private dinner for union leaders on Monday evening, Starmer’s deputy, Angela Rayner, hailed the recent public sector pay deals as good for the economy, echoing the arguments made by Reeves at the time.
“We know stronger public services are necessary for stronger economic growth. The recent pay deal is crucial to both,” Rayner said. “Rachel’s decision to honour the recommendations of the pay review bodies is not just good for your members but for everyone who relies on our NHS and schools.”
She also highlighted Labour’s plans for increasing unions’ power in the workplace, as part of a historic package of measures to boost workers’ rights.
“This government isn’t afraid to say that we want to see stronger trade unions. Because this is a government in the service of working people. This is who I am, and this is what I will fight for,” she said.
Starmer will use his keynote speech on Tuesday – the first by a Labour prime minister to the TUC in 15 years – to urge unions to work hand in hand with business, to help the government rebuild the economy.
“Partnership is a more difficult way of doing politics. I know there’s clarity in the old ways, the zero-sum ways: business versus worker, management versus union, public versus private. That kind of politics is not what the British people want,” Starmer will say.
“When I say to the public our policies will be pro-business and pro-worker, they don’t look at me as if I’m deluded, they see it as the most ordinary, sensible thing in the world.”
Unions have become increasingly concerned in recent months about fierce lobbying from some business groups about the workers’ rights plans, which include protection from unfair dismissal from day one, and a ban on “fire and rehire”.
But the prime minister will insist there is a “mood of change” in the business world, which has seen companies embrace, “the shared self-interest that comes from treating the workforce with respect and dignity. The productivity gain of fairness which is an opportunity to be grasped”.
On Monday in Brighton, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, led delegates in cheering the names of senior Conservatives who had lost their seats on 4 July in what he called a “roll call of political failure”.
Nowak, whose grandfather was a Polish pilot in the RAF, also attacked the rightwing Reform party and its leader, Clacton MP Nigel Farage, for claiming to represent working people.
“Nigel Farage isn’t a friend of the working class. He’s a fraud. A public school educated, private equity loving, NHS privatising, Putin apologist fraud,” Nowak said.
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