UK

NOT EVEN A RED TORY BUT A PINK ONE

SIR Keir Starmer  says he’s happy to be branded a ‘fiscal conservative’ as he refuses to commit to greater public spending

JEREMY CORBIN THOU SHALL BE AVENGED

Adam Forrest
Sun, July 16, 2023 

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is happy to be branded a “fiscal conservative” as he repeatedly refused to commit to greater spending on the NHS and other public services.

The Labour leader was called “delusional” by the Labour left – but Sir Keir insisted that he did not mind “ruffling feathers” and argued that his party could not win power by offering reckless spending pledges.

Sir Keir is also facing a row over his party’s benefits policy, after he revealed that a Labour government would keep the controversial two-child cap on benefits devised by austerity architect George Osborne.

His shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth had signalled an end to the two-child benefit cap only last month, calling the policy “heinous” and arguing that it was “absolutely keeping children in poverty”.

But asked on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg if he would scrap the cap, which means support is only provided for the first two children in a family, Sir Keir said: “We’re not changing that policy.”

The Labour leader repeatedly refused to say whether his party would spend more on public services in government, stating only that “a Labour government always will invest in our public services. The way to invest in our public services is to grow our economy.”

Urging “reform” of the NHS rather than committing to providing it with more money, Sir Keir said: “If all we do is simply patch up and keep going, then we won’t fix the fundamentals, and that’s why reform is so important.”

Asked if he was happy to be known as a “fiscal conservative”, Sir Keir said: “I don’t mind what label people put on me.”

Sir Keir is thought to want a Labour government to follow the Tories’ tax and public spending levels until growth returns to Britain’s juddering economy.

The Labour leader has acknowledged frustration with his plan for fiscal restraint. “Taking seriously the foundations of economic responsibility may not set people’s pulses racing – but the new country we can build on top of them will do,” Sir Keir wrote in The Observer.

Keir Starmer is under pressure to spend more on public services (PA Wire)

Andrew Fisher, who was policy chief for Jeremy Corbyn when he was leader of the party, said it was “delusional” to refuse to commit to extra spending on the NHS and public services. “Reforms are necessary, but they’re not an alternative to spending more,” he tweeted.

Mick Lynch, the firebrand leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said people cannot “spot the difference” between Labour and the Tories. “He’s got to show that he’s on the side of working people,” he told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

“Keir Starmer and his team have got to show some clear water, some red water, between themselves and the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, and themselves and the Conservatives.”

The left-wing campaign group Momentum said Sir Keir was “siding with the Daily Mail” when it comes to the “cruel” two-child benefit cap, and called for “real investment” in public services and infrastructure.

But Sir Keir took on his critics on economic policy. “Frankly, the left has to start caring a lot more about growth, about creating wealth, attracting inward investment and kickstarting a spirit of enterprise,” he said – calling it “the only show in town”.

Keir Starmer with Keir Mather, the Labour candidate in next week’s Selby by-election (Getty)

Grilled on deselections, suspensions, and the blocking of left-wing candidates – including the North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll – Sir Keir said he “rejects” the idea that he is ditching people and policies.

Asked by Laura Kuenssberg if he is happy to “ruffle feathers” in order to win power, Sir Keir said: “Of course” – before suggesting that he would be happy with even a one-seat Labour majority in 2024.

“The biggest danger is complacency,” he said on the chances of a Labour government. “I remind myself every day ... that to get from where we landed in 2019 to a one-seat majority at the next election will be a bigger swing than Tony Blair got in 1997.”

Deputy leader Angela Rayner said a Labour government will not nationalise industries if it will cost “a load of money” to do so. She told The Observer: “With the rail companies, we have said that once their contracts are up we’d bring them back into public ownership, and that’s a way of doing it. It’s pragmatism, not ideology. It’s about asking, ‘Will it improve people’s lives?’”

Asked about Sir Keir’s treatment of figures on the left of the party, she insisted that Labour needs to remain a broad church. “It has to be, because it’s not just about the party, it’s about voters,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir wouldn’t say if he would keep negotiating on current public-sector pay disputes, describing it as “the government’s mess” in his BBC interview. He also refused to put an “arbitrary” target on housebuilding – saying only that he wants to see “hundreds of thousands more houses” built.

Sir Keir did not rule out changing the Bank of England’s 2 per cent inflation target under a Labour government. Asked if he would look at changing the target, he said: “That’s something, I think, for us to address closer to the election.”

Starmer Faces UK Labour Backlash Over Bid for Fiscal Restraint



Alex Wickham
Mon, July 17, 2023

(Bloomberg) -- UK opposition leader Keir Starmer faced criticism from across his own Labour party over a pledge to keep a controversial limit on child benefits brought in by the governing Conservatives.

Four Labour mayors, including London’s Sadiq Khan, are opposing Starmer’s announcement that he would keep the two-child cap on benefits, according to people familiar with their thinking. They add to several members of Starmer’s top team who strongly criticized the Tory policy before their own leader’s reversal on the matter.

The push-back highlights the tricky balance Starmer is trying to strike as he bids to lead Labour back to power after more than 13 years in opposition. The Labour leadership is seeking to convince voters that the party will not be reckless with public spending if it wins a general election due by January 2025. But that comes at the price of abandoning previous Labour promises of largess and riling both the party’s members and its traditional supporters.

The Child Poverty Action Group charity estimates that scrapping the current Conservative policy that prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credit for their third child would cost the exchequer some £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) a year — while lifting 250,000 children out of poverty and benefiting another 850,000 children still in poverty. But Starmer told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Labour was “not changing that policy” if it gets into power.

Traditionally, the Conservative Party has sought to portray Labour as reckless with the public finances during election campaigns, a charge Starmer is determined to counter. But that also risks alienating his own party.

Khan, along with Liverpool City Mayor Steve Rotheram, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, all think the cap should be scrapped, the people familiar said.

The backlash extends further than that, from lawmakers who are concerned that Labour’s focus on fiscal restraint means they are not offering voters enough hope or change from the status quo.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told the Daily Record newspaper Monday that his regional party will “continue to oppose the two child limit.” Meanwhile, Rosie Duffield, a Member of Parliament on the right of the party, and Zarah Sultana, a left-wing MP, both opposed Starmer’s position on Twitter.

Several members of Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet, including Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth, have previously strongly condemned the two-child cap.

Separately, Jamie Driscoll, another regional mayor who is also on the left of the party, resigned from Labour on Monday after he was blocked from standing for the party.

--With assistance from Kitty Donaldson and Emily Ashton.

UPDATED

RED TORY

Starmer heaps praise on Thatcher as he woos Conservative voters

Edward Malnick
Sat, 2 December 2023 

Sir Keir Starmer used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair - Andrew Matthews/PA

Sir Keir Starmer heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in Britain as he launched an explicit appeal to Conservative voters to switch to Labour.

In his most audacious bid yet to woo centre-Right support, reminiscent of the New Labour years, the Labour leader accused the Tories of a “betrayal” of their promises to control migration.

In a shift from his staunch opposition to Britain’s departure from the EU before becoming leader, Sir Keir added that the Conservatives have “failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit”.

Writing for The Telegraph, he praised Thatcher for “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism” and warned that public was again fed up with politicians “hectoring”.

His intervention is likely to fuel Tory MPs’ concerns about disillusionment among many 2019 Conservative voters with the Government’s approach to key areas such as immigration, inflation and crime.

It comes as Rishi Sunak prepares to decide how radical an approach to take with a new law to secure deportation flights to Rwanda before the next election.

A plan – a radical version of which would allow ministers to ignore the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to asylum – could be finalised within 24 hours and put to the Cabinet as soon as Tuesday.

In a separate Telegraph article, Sir Bill Cash, a veteran Conservative Brexiteer, warned that voters “will not excuse failure on the illegal migration issue in yet another Bill”.

On Saturday, Labour said it expected that a surge in illegal Channel crossings this weekend would make 2023 the second highest year for crossings on record despite Mr Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”.

A second senior Tory warned that Mr Sunak faced the genuine prospect of a leadership challenge from the Right of the party if he was seen to deliver weak legislation unlikely to fix the problem after the Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda deportation policy unlawful.

Sir Keir used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair, saying they all realised “that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them”.

It comes almost four years on from the Tories’ 2019 landslide, as Labour ramps up its preparations for an election campaign. In an email to supporters last week, the party said: “All signals are pointing to polling day in May. The Tories are about to pull a series of stunts to try to make people forget about their failures and save their plummeting poll numbers.”

Sir Keir said he had administered “shock therapy” to Labour over the last three years after taking over from Jeremy Corbyn. Appealing directly to Conservative voters, he added: “Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. Many of them have always voted Conservative but feel that their party has left them.

“I understand that. I saw that with my own party and acted to fix it. But I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”

Sir Keir said the public “sees a politics too large in its hectoring and interfering, too small in its ambition and ability” and adds: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them.

“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism. Tony Blair reimagined a stale, outdated Labour Party into one that could seize the optimism of the late 90s.

“A century ago, Clement Attlee wrote that Labour must be a party of duty and patriotism, not abstract theory. To build a ‘New Jerusalem’ meant first casting off the mind-forged manacles. That lesson is as true today as it was then.”

Sir Keir said it was “in this sense of public service” that he had overseen dramatic change in the Labour Party. “The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party,” he added.

The Labour leader claimed his party was “moving back towards voters” while “the Tory party has been steadily drifting away”.

“Years of sowing empty promises, cynical falsehoods and false dawns is now reaping inevitable consequence,” he wrote. “The Tories have talked the talk on fiscal prudence while wasting untold billions, weighing the country down with debt and raising the tax burden to a record high.

“They have squandered economic opportunities and failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit. They will bequeath public finances more akin to a minefield than a solid foundation.”

The Labour leader said his party’s “iron-clad fiscal rules will set this straight – but it will not be quick or easy”, adding: “There will be many on my own side who will feel frustrated by the difficult choices we will have to make.

“This is non-negotiable: every penny must be accounted for. The public finances must be fixed so we can get Britain growing and make people feel better off.”

On migration, Sir Keir said: “This is a government that was elected on a promise that immigration would ‘come down’ and the British people would ‘always be in control’. For immigration to then triple is more than just yet another failure – it is a betrayal of their promises.”

Sir Keir’s praise for Thatcher is likely to rile the Left of his party, which reacted with fury when he said in March that the former Conservative prime minister was “right” to describe the rule of law as the first duty of government.

In 2013, Sir Tony Blair described Thatcher as “a towering political figure”, adding: “I always thought my job was to build on some of the things she had done rather than reverse them. Many of the things she said, even though they pained people like me on the Left... had a certain creditability.”

Keir Starmer more receptive to my ideas than Sunak’s party, says Tory donor

Patrick Daly
Sat, 2 December 2023 at 3:39 am GMT-7·3-min read

A major Tory donor has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is “more receptive” to his proposals than Rishi Sunak.

John Caudwell, founder of the now defunct mobile phone retailer Phones4U, donated £500,000 to the Conservative Party before the 2019 election when Boris Johnson was at its helm.

But the billionaire has been disillusioned with the party in recent months, slamming the prime minister’s move this autumn to water down net zero comments.

And on Friday the businessman heaped praise on Sir Keir, refusing to rule out providing money towards Labour’s war chest ahead of a likely general election next year.

I’ve met with Keir Starmer and he is more receptive to my ideas than the Tory party

Businessman John Caudwell

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? programme, Mr Caudwell said: “I’ve put so many policies to the Conservative Party to make Britain great again, to put the great back into Great Britain, drive the GDP, drive the wealth for people again.

“I’ve met with Keir Starmer and he is more receptive to my ideas than the Tory Party.

“Will that mean I donate? I can’t answer that.

“But what I can tell you is that any party that makes Britain great by having the right policies… any party that does what I think will make Britain great again … I’ll donate to.”

Mr Caudwell told The Sunday Times in September that he would no longer financially back the Tories if Mr Sunak kept with his changed stance on environmental policies.

“If Rishi sticks to this, would I donate to the Conservative Party? Absolutely not. No chance whatsoever with the decisions they are making at the moment,” he said.

“Would I switch to Labour? The answer to that is very simple: I will support any party that I believe will do the right thing for Britain going forward.”

Labour leader Sir Keir is on course to be the next prime minister, according to current polling.

His party have been consistently ahead in opinion polls, with some surveys putting them as much as 20 points ahead of the Tories, who have been in power since 2010.

Mr Caudwell’s praise for Sir Keir follows a string of high-profile figures from the business world coming out in favour of Labour.

In a major intervention this month, revealed by The Independent, the advertising giant that helped Margaret Thatcher win power attacked the “cruelty” of the Conservatives and predicted a Labour victory at the general election.

The strategy chief at Saatchi & Saatchi – the agency behind the iconic “Labour isn’t working” ads prior to the 1979 landslide – said Britain needs saving from “five more years of stagnation, cruelty and despair”.

That came just weeks after the former governor of the Bank of England endorsed the Labour Party in a major coup for Sir Keir Starmer and his shadow chancellor. Mark Carney said it was “beyond time” for Ms Reeves to run the economy in a Labour government.

Frozen food chain Iceland’s executive chair, Richard Walker, has also withdrawn his support and said he was “open” to supporting Sir Keir. Meanwhile another Tory donor, Philip Harris, founder of Carpetright, said the Conservative Party did not “deserve” to win the 2024 general elect

‘End Thatcherism for good’ – Corbyn rips in to Starmer for praising Thatcher

The difference between the two most recent Labour leaders couldn't be much greater - as these comments prove.

 by Tom Head
2023-12-03 
in Politics


Jeremy Corbyn has issued a personal response to Keir Starmer’s praise for Margaret Thatcher on Sunday, just hours after his Peace and Justice Project slammed the Labour leader for his controversial stance.

What did Keir Starmer say about Margaret Thatcher?

The piece, published on Sunday, paid tribute to the former Prime Minister for ‘dragging Britain out of its stupor’. Thatcher still remains a bitterly detested figure amongst many Labour supporters, and her legacy is one of the most divisive in UK politics.

Alas, Starmer has thrown caution to the wind, imploring disillusioned Tories to ‘take another look at Labour’. His attempt to court these potential floating voters is likely to leave a sour taste among long-term Labour backers.

“Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”

“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism… effecting meaningful change.”

“The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party.” | Keir Starmer

Sir Keir faces wrath of Corbyn

Posting on Twitter/X, Corbyn lashed at out at the ‘legacy of Thatcherism’, blaming her tumultuous time as Prime Minister for making life harder for vulnerable citizens decades after she left office. He also took a swipe at Starmer for saying that Thatcher ‘effected meaningful change’.

“Every week, I speak to renters threatened with eviction. Homeless people struggling to survive. Parents using foodbanks. Elderly people who can’t afford heating. That is the legacy of Thatcherism. We will never achieve meaningful change until it ends for good.” | Jeremy Corbyn

Richard Murphy, a political campaigner and Professor of Accounting Practice at the University of Sheffield, also took offence to Starmer’s position. He vehemently contests the notion that the ‘Iron Lady’ was responsible for releasing entrepreneurialism across the country

“Margaret Thatcher did not release entrepreneurialism in the UK. She released monopolistic exploitation. As someone who knows the true meaning of being an entrepreneur, I can tell you that neither is in any way similar to entrepreneurialism.”| Professor Richard Murphy

Starmer's ‘embarrassing’ Thatcher love-in slammed


Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer

MATT KERR

MORNINGSTAR

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2023

LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has been condemned for his praise of Margaret Thatcher.

In an article for the Sunday Telegraph — regarded as a barometer of Tory opinion — Sir Keir named Labour predecessors Clement Attlee and Tony Blair alongside the former Tory prime minister as people who had delivered “meaningful change” in Britain.

Already under fire for his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza, the Labour leader went on to eulogise Ms Thatcher for her work to “drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”

His comments, aimed at reaching out to Tory-voting readers, have infuriated grassroots Labour party members and trade unionists alike, while the SNP went on the attack.

Writing on Twitter, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism,’ it was vandalism.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to disown Sir Keir’s remarks.

He said: “The question is now whether Labour in Scotland will stand by these despicable comments and stand shoulder to shoulder with Starmer just as they did on Gaza — or will they finally speak up for Scotland."

UCU union general secretary Jo Grady also took to Twitter to say: “Thatcher brought meaningful change?

“Destroying whole communities, privatising our major assets, creating a culture of individualism, blacklisting workers, targeting trade unionists, vilifying football supporters, starting the wealth divide. Embarrassing from Starmer.”

Momentum branded Sir Keir’s remarks “a shift to the right and a failure of Labour values.”

The grassroots group tweeted: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public service, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour.

“Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics.”

Former Scottish Labour MSP and leadership contender Neil Findlay was damning of Sir Keir’s return to the Blairite strategy of tacking right and assuming the left had nowhere to go.

He told the Star: “Keir Starmer has just given working-class voters another reason to stay at home instead of voting Labour on polling day.

“In areas like mine, Thatcher’s legacy was 26 per cent unemployment, mass redundancy, industrial closures and a feeling that there was no future for my generation.

“For him to eulogise someone who inflicted so much pain on our communities sickens me to the pit of my stomach. He is an impostor and a fraud.”

Fury at 'embarrassing' Keir Starmer for praising Margaret Thatcher to woo Tory voters

As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Keir Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.

ByLizzy Buchan

Deputy Political Editor

THE MIRROR

3 Dec 2023

Keir Starmer was hit by a furious backlash tonight after he lavished praise on Margaret Thatcher to woo Conservative voters.

In comments that enraged parts of his party, the Labour leader hailed the divisive Tory PM for bringing about “meaningful change” and “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them. Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”

He also pointed to past Labour PMs Sir Tony Blair and Clement Atlee for understanding that politicians “must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them”.

As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Mr Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.

Keir Starmer hailed the divisive Tory PM for bringing about “meaningful change” 

(Image: PA)

The Labour leader sought to park his tanks on Mr Sunak’s lawn by criticising the Conservatives’ handling of Brexit and its “betrayal” of its manifesto promise to curb immigration. He later told the BBC that he wanted to compare the “drift” of recent years with the “sense of mission” under previous leaders.

“It doesn’t mean I agree with what she (Thatcher) did, but I don’t think anybody could suggest she didn’t have a driving sense of purpose.”

But his comments about Mrs Thatcher will spark anger in Mirror heartlands decimated by her policies in the 1980s, where the impact of those job losses are still felt today.

Chris Kitchen, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), told the Mirror: “I can understand that some people think Thatcher was great. If I was a multi-millionaire who got rich off her policies maybe I would. I’m a former coal miner living in a mining community. I don’t see anything Thatcher did that helped anyone in my community.”

Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack said her Government “deliberately inflicted mass unemployment and poverty on communities through a vindictive pit closures programme and the decimation of the manufacturing industry”.

Mr Wrack, whose union is affiliated to the Labour Party, said: “Working people and entire regions of Britain are still living with the dire consequences of Thatcherism to this day. That’s why so many families are struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills this Christmas. Obscene wealth inequality, a surge in food bank use, as well as low-paid and insecure work are the reality of Thatcherism.”

Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary, said the comments were “embarrassing” for Mr Starmer as she pointed to the ex-Tory PM’s record of privatisation, trade union crackdowns and blacklisting workers.

Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said Mrs Thatcher devastated mining communities and presided over policies that caused “poverty and deprivation not seen since the Dickensian era”.

“Most of those forced to rely on foodbanks today are from communities that have never recovered from the Thatcher government’s assault on working class communities,” she said. “Her government’s attacks on the working class and trade unions is well remembered in my constituency.”

Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, a former NUM President and ally of Jeremy Corbyn, took aim at the Labour leader. He said: “I can assure you my constituents do not in any way share this view. Thatcher brutalised the miners and their families.”

Labour MP Ian Byrne tweeted: “Inequality, hunger, destitution & misery. That’s the real legacy left by Thatcher.” And Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said: “Margaret Thatcher did nothing for working class communities in Liverpool and across the country: destroyed industries, attacked trade unionists, privatised our core industries.”

She said no one in Labour should look up to Mrs Thatcher, adding: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

North of Tyne metro mayor Jamie Driscoll, who quit Labour after being barred from standing for the party as North East Mayor, accused Mr Starmer of “abandoning the Red Wall”. He said: “The North East lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs under Margaret Thatcher, my Dad’s job at ICI included. This is adding insult to injury.”

Momentum, the left-wing activist network, said: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public services, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour. Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics. It’s a shift to the Right, and a failure of Labour values.”

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf also piled into the row as he battles with a resurgent Scottish Labour party. He said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism’, it was vandalism. Starmer praising Thatcher is an insult to those communities in Scotland, and across the UK, who still bear the scars of her disastrous policies.”

Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he was not a fan of Mrs Thatcher but said she had a significant impact on the country.

Asked if he was a fan, Mr Reynolds, who represents Stalybridge and Hyde, a former mining community in Greater Manchester, said: “No, I’m not, but I can recognise that she was a formidable opponent and if I were to list the significant prime ministers who have really changed the country, many people like Tony Blair.”

DOCTORS AS PROLETARIANS

Sir Keir Starmer: I will slash ‘nonsense’ bureaucracy in the NHS


Camilla Turner
Sat, 14 January 2023

Writing for The Telegraph, Sir Keir Starmer says the situation for NHS patients is now 'intolerable and dangerous' - Brian Lawless/PA

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to slash “mind-boggling” NHS bureaucracy, as he said the service must either “reform or die”.

The Labour leader cautioned that “well-meaning reverence” for the health service has “supplanted reality”, adding that it must not be seen as “off limits” for criticism.

He outlined a series of reforms that a Labour government would bring in, which include allowing patients to bypass GPs to make self-referrals to specialists, as well as gradually turning family doctors into direct NHS employees.

It is the first time Sir Keir has publicly backed the proposals, previously mooted by Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary.

Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Keir said the situation for NHS patients is now “intolerable and dangerous”, adding: “The idea the service is still ‘the envy of the world’ is plainly wrong.”

His remarks - which will be seen as a break from Labour’s traditional veneration of the NHS - come as nurses prepare for a fresh round of strikes on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Sir Keir also outlined Labour’s plans to crack down on the “bureaucratic nonsense” that patients encounter every day in the health service.

“Why can’t people with persistent back problems self-refer to physio?” he said. “Why if you notice bleeding do you have to get a GP appointment, simply to get the tests that you then do yourself at home?

“Every patient will have their own experience of these mundane inconveniences and inefficiencies. Across the system and across the country each one adds up, resulting in a mind-boggling waste of time, energy and money, all of which could be better spent.”

The NHS is facing one of its worst winter crises, with medics warning that hospitals are running out of oxygen because of the number of patients being treated in corridors and ambulances.

Heart attack victims were left waiting an average of 90 minutes for an ambulance last month – the worst waiting times on record.

Sir Keir said the situation for NHS patients is now 'intolerable and dangerous' - PA

Sir Keir warned that “investment alone won’t be enough” to rescue the NHS and said he will tackle “ingrained thinking” among hospital managers to force change and modernisation of the service.

His message is a direct challenge to Rishi Sunak, who has made cutting down NHS waiting list times one of his key priorities as Prime Minister.

On Saturday night, Downing Street announced plans for a major expansion of his "virtual wards" initiative, whereby patients are treated at home as part of efforts to free up hospital beds.

Sir Keir said Mr Sunak’s promise to get waiting lists down is merely the “path of least resistance” and the “stale route to further decline” of the health service.

He described how the model of using doctors as the only “front door” of the NHS is no longer viable, as younger doctors are increasingly put off from taking on the “burdens and liabilities” of running GP practices.

Currently, GPs are self-employed and run their own practices under contracts awarded by the NHS. Sir Keir wants to gradually wind this down and make GPs direct employees of the NHS.

“It’s time for us to think about a new, sustainable system, one that allows GPs to focus on caring for patients rather than the admin that comes with effectively running a small business,” said Sir Keir.

“This would be a big change and it won’t happen overnight. But I am a pragmatist, focused on what works for patients.

“As GPs retire and those contracts are handed back, I want to phase in a new system that sees GPs fairly rewarded within the NHS, working much more closely with other parts of the system.”

UK

RED TORY

Starmer says he is prepared to use nuclear weapons
Sam Francis - Political Reporter
Mon, June 3, 2024 

Sir Keir Starmer has said he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if needed to defend the UK as he set out Labour's defence plans.

The Labour leader said "security will always come first" under his leadership and claimed his party has left behind Jeremy Corbyn's opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons system.

If elected, Sir Keir said he would increase defence spending and update the UK's nuclear arsenal.

Conservative defence secretary Grant Shapps said Labour represented a "danger to our national security".

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He called Labour's pledge to protect the nuclear deterrent "meaningless", given a dozen of Labour's current front bench team voted against renewing Trident in 2016 under Mr Corbyn, including shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.

At the time, Mr Lammy cited his Christian faith when explaining why he voted against it.

"Uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to chart a course to a secure future, only the Conservatives offer that," Mr Shapps said.

The Labour party was split when the House of Commons last voted to renew the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system, with 140 of the party's 230 MPs defying leader Mr Corbyn to back the motion.

But Sir Keir - who did vote to renew Trident - claimed he had his "whole shadow cabinet behind me" on plans to maintain the nuclear deterrent.

"This is a changed Labour party and the most important thing is I voted in favour of a nuclear deterrent," he said.

"I lead from the front, I've always lad from the front."

Asked by BBC Political Editor Chris Mason, if he would authorise the firing of nuclear weapons if he was prime minister, Sir Keir said: "We have to be prepared to use it.

"Now, nobody who aspires to be prime minister would set out the circumstances in which it would be used. That would be irresponsible.

"But it is there as a part, a vital part, of our defence."

Sir Keir used his speech to recommit Labour to boosting UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP - without setting a deadline. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to hit the target by 2030 if re-elected.

"Keeping our country safe is the bedrock of stability that the British people rightly expect from their government," Sir Keir said.

He committed Labour to a "nuclear triple lock": continuing to build four new nuclear submarines in Barrow-in-Furness, maintaining Britain's at-sea deterrent, and delivering all future upgrades for submarine patrols.

The Trident system, based near the Firth of Clyde, includes four nuclear-powered Vanguard-class submarines, missiles and warheads.

Each submarine is designed to carry 16 Trident missiles, capable of delivering multiple warheads - but in recent years, they have carried eight missiles each, with a maximum of 40 warheads per boat.

The UK is already in the process of building four new nuclear submarines in Barrow in-Furness at a cost of £31bn over the lifetime of the programme. The country maintains a continuous at sea nuclear deterrent with its existing fleet.

The Conservatives have also commitment to continue this polices as well as delivering future upgrades.

SNP Spokesman Martin Docherty-Hughes said: "In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, it is objectively wrong that Keir Starmer would funnel billions of pounds of public money into keeping weapons of mass destruction on our doorstep in Scotland, while families are still living in poverty after 14 years of Tory austerity, and our budget from the UK government keeps getting slashed.

"Nuclear weapons have no place in Scotland, and only a vote for the SNP in July will protect Scotland's interest against the Labour and Tories - neither of whom will do what the people in Scotland want and scrap Trident nuclear weapons for good."

In another break from Mr Corbyn's leadership, Sir Keir used his speech to push for the UK to assume a "leading" role in Nato.

Sir Keir's predecessor criticised Nato's role and expansion, particularly in conflicts he found unjust - though did not push for the UK to leave.

These positions led to accusations from its opponents that Labour was weak on national security during Mr Corbyn's tenure.​

Sir Keir also announced he would keep a dedicated veterans minister in his cabinet if Labour wins election. The standalone role was created under Boris Johnson but later dropped and then restored by Rishi Sunak.

Ahead of his speech, Sir Keir unveiled a "record" 14 ex-military candidates, which he said "is evidence of a changed Labour Party".

In recent years, armed forces veterans have been rare among Labour's MPs.

In the last parliament only two Labour MPs had military service - Dan Jarvis, who served 16 years in the Parachute Regiment, and Clive Lewis who reached the rank of Lieutenant in the Territorial Army.

The ex-military candidates announced by Labour include:

Al Carns, a Royal Marines colonel who stepped down from the military last week


Calvin Bailey, a former Royal Air Force commanding officer


Neil Guild, who served in the British Army for more than six years and now works as a civil engineer


Louise Jones, a former army intelligence officer.

Speaking on Monday, Ms Jones, the Labour candidate in North East Derbyshire, said: "Labour has national security at its core. Our commitment to Nato is unshakable.

"Only labour recognises the duty we have as a nation to our armed forces, only Labour has the leader we can fully trust with our national security and only Labour will put this country first."


UK's Starmer seeks to reassure voters with defence pledge

Updated Mon, June 3, 2024 


British Labour Party campaigns across the country in the lead up to the election

By Elizabeth Piper

LONDON (Reuters) -British opposition leader Keir Starmer pledged on Monday to secure the country's armed forces and nuclear deterrent, trying to reassure voters before an election that the nation would be safe in the hands of a Labour government.

Describing Labour as the "party of national security", Starmer turned his campaign focus to defence, seen as a weak spot for Britain's main opposition party under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time supporter of nuclear disarmament.

With conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, defence is taking centre stage before the July 4 election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last month that only his Conservative Party could keep voters safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

Standing in front of 14 former military Labour candidates, Starmer told an audience: "The people of Britain need to know that their leaders will keep them safe - and we will."

"This Labour Party is totally committed to the security of our nation, to our armed forces and, importantly, to our nuclear deterrent."

He made a commitment to a so-called "nuclear deterrent triple lock" - constructing four new nuclear submarines, maintaining a continuous at-sea deterrent and the delivery of all future upgrades needed for those submarines.

Even though Labour is far ahead in the polls, officials say they still need to convince thousands of undecided voters to back what Starmer repeatedly calls a "changed party", one which can be trusted on defence, health and tackling immigration.

The Conservatives believe they have a stronger defence offering, with a pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP a year by 2030 - a target Labour says it wants to match "as soon as possible".

The Labour leader was again asked about his party's stance on the Gaza conflict, after Labour has struggled to hold on to the support of some Muslim voters in local elections.

"The best thing ... for everybody concerned is to press for that ceasefire immediately, straightaway," he said. "That has been our position for weeks and weeks and weeks and months."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Susan Fenton and Alex Richardson)

Keir Starmer marches his troops onto traditional Tory territory in battle for best party on defence

Nicholas Cecil and Richard Wheeler
Mon, June 3, 2024 


Sir Keir Starmer arguing that Labour is the better party on defence (PA Wire)

Sir Keir Starmer marched his troops onto traditional Tory territory in an election battle over which party is better on defence.

He pitched Labour as the “party of national security”, contrasting the party’s position now compared to the Corbyn years.

The Labour leader was expected to meet with forces veterans and a group of his party’s candidates when he campaigns in the North West of England on Monday.

Sir Keir reaffirmed his commitment to a “nuclear deterrent triple lock” as well as his ambition to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the size of the economy.

No longer the party of protest, Labour is the party of national security

Sir Keir Starmer

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made clear he wants to meet the 2.5 per target by 2030.

But Labour has so far declined to outline its timeline, only noting they would do so when economic conditions allow.

Labour says its nuclear deterrent triple lock involves: a commitment to construct the four new nuclear submarines in Barrow-in-Furness; maintaining Britain’s continuous at-sea deterrent; and the delivery of all future upgrades needed for the submarines to patrol the waters.

The Vanguard-class submarines are due to be replaced by the bigger Dreadnought-class submarines in the 2030s.

Between £31 billion and £41 billion has been set aside for the wider programme of replacing the Vanguard-class submarines, according to figures from the House of Commons Library.

Sir Keir has been attempting to shift perceptions of Labour’s defence stance following the party’s time under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, a long-standing critic of Nato and Trident.

Sir Keir said: “National security will always come first in the changed Labour Party I lead.

“Keeping our country safe is the bedrock of stability that the British people rightly expect from their government.

“My message to them is clear: Labour has changed. No longer the party of protest, Labour is the party of national security.

“The excellent former service personnel that are standing as Labour candidates are a testament to that change.”

He added: “In the face of increasing threats to national security, actions will speak louder than words.

“That’s why, alongside our unshakeable commitment to Nato, an incoming Labour government will introduce a ‘triple lock’ commitment on our nuclear deterrent – providing vital protection for the UK and our Nato allies in the years ahead, as well as supporting thousands of high paying jobs across the UK.”

The Tories have normally been ahead in polls on which party is best for defence of the nation, and some still show it leading Labour while it is behind on a string of other issues including the economy, NHS, tax and sometimes immigration.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Twelve members of Starmer’s front bench team, including Angela Rayner and David Lammy, voted against Trident.

“We know Rayner is now making the decisions in Labour, so Starmer’s supposed backing for Trident is meaningless.

“Labour’s refusal to commit to 2.5% defence spending by 2030 shows that they are a danger to our national security. Uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to chart a course to a secure future, only the Conservatives offer that.”

RED TORY

SIR Keir Starmer insists he’s no Thatcher ‘fan boy’ and says she did terrible things

Adam Forrest

Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to calm the storm of criticism over his comments about Margaret Thatcher by telling a Scottish audience that she did “terrible things”.

The Labour leader sought to draw a line under the row after he appeared to praise the former Tory prime minister and her moves to boost Britain’s “entrepreneurialism”.

On a visit to Scotland on Friday, Sir Keir insisted he is no fan of Ms Thatcher and said that he “profoundly disagrees” with some of her actions.

He said she did “huge damage” to communities across the UK – particularly in Scotland – only days after listing her as among former leaders who delivered “meaningful change”.

In an article for the Sunday Telegraph, he said Baroness Thatcher had sought to “drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”.

The attempt to appeal to traditional Tory voters fell flat with some Labour supporters and he was mocked by Conservative MPs as a Thatcher “fan boy” in the Commons.

But asked whether he was a fan at a Scottish Labour gala dinner in Glasgow on Thursday evening, he said: “No, absolutely not.”

The comments, heard on an audio recording, were met with applause by the audience in Scotland, where the former Tory leader’s privatisation agenda hit particularly hard.

Keir Starmer sought to draw a line under the row in Scotland (Getty Images)

“She did terrible things, particularly here in Scotland which everybody in this room, myself included, profoundly disagrees with,” Sir Keir said.

“The point I was trying to make in a piece that we penned last week was that there are some political leaders who have a mission, a plan, that they implement,” he told the audience.

The Labour leader went on to said: “Attlee of course, was one of them, the ‘New Jerusalem’. Thatcher, whether you liked her or you didn’t like her, you couldn’t say she didn’t have a plan, or a mission.

Sir Keir added: “You can say someone has a mission and a plan and disagree profoundly with them.”

Baroness Thatcher won three general elections in her 11-year reign, but remains a divisive figure, including over the agenda of privatisation that saw the decline of industries such as coal and steel.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar did not repeat Sir Keir’s supportive comments this week, instead describing Baroness Thatcher as a “destructive force for our country”.

Sir Keir was following in the footsteps of his predecessor Sir Tony, who also praised the Iron Lady in the run-up to his 1997 general election landslide.

But he faced a furious backlash from left-wing MPs, with Beth Winter saying the former Tory PM “caused poverty and deprivation not seen since the Dickensian era”.

Some backbenchers urged the leadership to distance itself from any praise for Thatcher. Labour MP Ian Byrne said Ms Thatcher’s legacy was “inequality, hunger, destitution and misery”.

Earlier this week Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said he would not use the word “admire” to sum up how he felt about Thatcher, and would instead say she was “successful electorally”.

Meanwhile, two people have been charged in connection with alleged disorder offences following a protest where UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was confronted by pro-Palestine activists.

On Thursday night, Police Scotland said a man, 33, and a woman, 26, were arrested after Sir Keir was confronted by protesters as he arrived in Glasgow.

Footage showed Sir Keir arriving at Glasgow Central station, where a group of activists were waiting with Palestinian flags.

He has faced criticism for refusing to back a ceasefire in Gaza, with the party leadership in favour of calling for humanitarian pauses to allow people to leave Gaza and for aid to enter.

Former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn Ruled Out as Election Candidate

BY SIR KEIR RIGHT WING LABOURITE
by Ben Cohen


UK Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer. Photo: Reuters/Jane Barlow

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s Labour Party, on Wednesday pledged that his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, would not be permitted to stand on the party’s ticket at the next general election as the UK’s main anti-racism watchdog declared itself satisfied that Labour no longer needed to be monitored for antisemitism.

Corybn’s term at the helm of the party — from his shock win as a far left candidate in 2015 to his heavy general election defeat in 2020 — was marked by a succession of scandals over antisemitism. One of the consequences was the monitoring of the party by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an independent body whose report into Labour antisemitism in Oct. 2020 found that under Corbyn’s leadership, Labour had been guilty of unlawful harassment and discrimination against Jews.

Speaking after the EHRC announced that it would no longer be scrutinizing the party — declaring in a statement that “Britain’s equality regulator has now confirmed that it is content with the actions taken and has concluded its work with the party” — Starmer said that Labour had arrived at an “important moment” in its history that had taken “many, many months of hard work and humility.”

The Labour leader emphasized that it was not a day for “celebration” but rather “one for reflection on how a party that has always prided itself on its anti-racism, its commitment to equality, its belief in a better, fairer Britain could have fallen so far as to betray its own principles, as well as the principles of the country.”

The State Department on Wednesday countered claims made by human rights groups and others that it had withdrawn the nomination...

Addressing those Labour members who had “suffered the most appalling abuse,” Starmer offered an apology.

“Today, on behalf of the entire Labour Party, I say sorry,” Starmer continued. “What you’ve been through cannot be undone. Apologies alone can’t make it right.” He stressed that “under my leadership, there will be zero tolerance of antisemitism, of racism, of discrimination of any kind.”

Dame Margaret Hodge, a Jewish Labour MP, offered her support for Starmer, arguing that Corbyn was responsible for being stripped of the Labour Party’s parliamentary mandate because of his own actions.

“One of the first phone calls that Keir Starmer made after he became elected leader was to me and to other Jews who had suffered under the time of Jew hate with Corbyn,” Hodge told Sky News. “And he promised us then that he would show zero tolerance to antisemitism, and he’s acted.”

Keir Starmer’s decision to bar me is a 

‘flagrant attack on democracy’, says Corbyn

Ban is a ‘denial of due process’, claims former leader – as Diane Abbott suggests clash is partly down to Brexit

Adam Forrest
Political Correspondent

Jeremy Corbyn will not stand as Labour candidate at next election, Keir Starmer says

Jeremy Corbyn has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to bar him from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election – calling it a “flagrant attack” on democracy.

The former Labour leader, who currently sits as an independent MP, hit out at his successor and described the move as a “divisive distraction from our overriding goal: to defeat the Conservative Party”.

It comes after Sir Keir unequivocally barred Mr Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election during a speech on his party’s crackdown on antisemitism on Wednesday morning.

The Labour leader also welcomed the decision by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to lift the party out of special measures after it was ordered to take action two years ago over its past failings on the issue.

“Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour at the next general election as a Labour Party candidate. What I said about the Labour Party changing, I meant, and we are not going back,” Sir Keir said.

He added that the party was “unrecognisable from 2019” before delivering a message to left-wingers unhappy with his approach. “To them, I say in all candour: we are never going back. If you don’t like it, nobody is forcing you to stay.”

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No Jeremy Corbyn: What’s next for Labour’s left?

Responding to Sir Keir, Mr Corbyn said: “Any attempt to block my candidacy is a denial of due process, and should be opposed by anybody who believes in the value of democracy.”

He said blocking his candidacy was thwarting the democratic rights of Labour Party members in the constituency of Islington North. “It is up to them – not party leaders – to decide who their candidate should be,” Mr Corbyn said.

Mr Corbyn, who has been MP for Islington North since 1983, has been sitting as an independent since Sir Keir withdrew the Labour whip from him in October 2020 over his response to the EHRC antisemitism investigation.

The former leader was readmitted to the party by a disciplinary panel as a rank-and-file member, but was then denied the parliamentary whip after a personal intervention by Sir Keir.

Critics of Mr Corbyn say that antisemitism ran out of control in the party under his watch, while his defenders claim that the problem was exaggerated by Labour opponents to undermine him politically.

The left-wing former leader did not say in his statement posted on Twitter whether he would stand as an independent against an official Labour candidate.

“At a time when the government is overseeing the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, this is a divisive distraction from our overriding goal: to defeat the Conservative Party at the next general election,” he said.

Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer together in 2019
(Reuters)

Mr Corbyn said he was still “proud to represent the labour movement in parliament”, adding: “I am focused on standing up for workers on the picket line, the marginalised, and all those worried about their futures. That is what I’ll continue to do. I suggest the Labour Party does the same.”

Writing for The Independent, Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said Sir Keir was “right to confirm” that Mr Corbyn would not be a candidate for the party.

“His stubborn refusal to accept his role in allowing antisemitism to flourish, and his assertion that his opponents within the party had exaggerated the issue, means he remains part of the problem and not the solution,” she said.

Labour MP Diane Abbott, one of Mr Corbyn’s longest-standing allies, suggested his clash with Sir Keir was inevitable because of Brexit, saying that the left-wing former leader “in his heart of hearts is a Brexiteer”.

She told the News Agents podcast: “Jeremy in his heart of hearts is a Brexiteer, and Keir Starmer at that point was passionately pro-European.”

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Starmer has ended Labour’s antisemitism shame, says watchdog

Pressed on whether Mr Corbyn really wanted Britain to leave the EU, she said: “Yes, I’ve known Jeremy a long time. He saw it as a conspiracy of business people and so on. So, that was the common view on the left in the 80s.”

She added: “But Jeremy has always been about uniting the party. He knew most party members were pro-European. But himself, I would say, deep down he was a Brexiter.”

SCCOTLAND
Starmer rejects claims thousands of jobs at risk due to oil and gas stance



Oil rigs anchored in the Cromarty Firth, Invergordon

 (JAne Barlow/PA)

By Craig Paton, PA Scotland Deputy Political Editor

Today 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has rejected claims his party’s stance on oil and gas would cost jobs in the North Sea.

The party has said it would not allow new licences for oil and gas exploration if Sir Keir becomes prime minister after the July 4 election.

But some in the north east of Scotland, including the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce this week, have said the next government has 100 days to save 100,000 jobs in the sector.

“We’re not going to turn the pipes off instantaneously, that’s never been part of our plan,” he told BBC Radio Scotland.

“We’re not going to revoke licences… that means that oil and gas will be part of the mix for decades to come.

“The question is what we do about the transition.”

“I do reject that analysis,” he said when questioned on potential job losses.

“In fact, I am absolutely convinced that the transition could bring more jobs to Scotland and jobs that will last for decades.”



Sir Keir Starmer holding a Labour pledge card (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Sir Keir went on to compare the current situation with the end of coal mining in Britain during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher.

“I think a huge mistake was made when coal started coming to an end and the government of the day didn’t plan for the future and I’m not prepared to let an incoming Labour Government be in that position,” he said.

“We have to plan for the future, do the transition properly and that is the best way to ensure that jobs are there, not just for this generation, but for the next generation after that.”


Sir Keir was also questioned on GB Energy, one of the party’s key pledges in this election campaign, which he said would be an “investment vehicle” as opposed to an energy generation company.

The firm, which he has maintained would be headquartered in Scotland, would be set up with £8 billion of borrowing and would attract, the Labour leader hoped, three times as much in private investment.

“It would be an investment vehicle, not an energy company,” he said.

“The money going into it would be public money, but used to trigger private investment alongside it.”

Sir Keir will travel to Scotland on Friday to speak alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, laying out the party’s six promises to Scotland ahead of the July 4 election.





Scottish National Party leader John Swinney said Labour was offering no change (Jane Barlow/PA)

Speaking ahead of the visit, Sir Keir said: “Labour will deliver a decade of national renewal and the steps set out today are our down payment on that promise.

“From cutting bills to boosting pay to protecting the NHS, the Labour government I lead will be on your side and relentlessly focused on the issues that matter to you.”

However, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney claimed Sir Keir is “offering no change at all” and has challenged the Labour leader to produce an emergency budget to reverse “Tory austerity cuts”.

Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said the party had “already been at the heart of government” in Scotland by backing “the failed SNP-Green coalition on some of their worst decisions”.

“On raising taxes, the disastrous gender self-ID legislation, the illiberal Hate Crimes Act and profoundly damaging rent controls, Scottish Labour MSPs have lined up to back the SNP,” he added.

RED TORY, SIR Keir Starmer vows to work with Donald Trump if both win power despite guilty verdict

Cabinet minister Mel Stride also comments on the ‘extraordinary events’ in Manhattan


TRUMP AFTER HIS CONVICTION FOR FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS AT MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT
AP

JITENDRA JOSHI, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR @JITJOSHI|NICHOLAS CECIL, POLITICAL EDITOR @NICHOLASCECIL

1 HOUR AGO

Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday that he would work with Donald Trump if both win power, even after the US Republican became the first former president to be convicted of a crime.

Mr Trump’s sentencing after the historic conviction in his hush money trial will take place on July 11, a week after the UK general election when the Labour leader is tipped to replace Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.

Sir Keir noted that the process was not complete, with the US Republican expected to appeal after lashing out at the judge, the jury and his accusers - his former lawyer Michael Cohen and ex-porn star Stormy Daniels.

“Obviously we respect the decision of the independent court. There is a bit of process to go with sentencing and appeal,” the Labour leader told BBC Good Morning Scotland.


“But we are in an unprecedented situation, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“Ultimately, whether he’s elected president will be a matter for the American people.

“Obviously, if we are privileged to come into serve we would work with whowever they choose as their president.

“But there is no getting away from the fact that this is a wholly unprecedented situation.”

Mr Trump, 77 faces fines or jail time of up to four years after he was found guilty by a New York jury on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The sentencing is scheduled to happen days before the Republican convention opens on July 15, when he should be formally designated the party’s candidate to take on Joe Biden in the November 4 election.

The sentencing date also marks the conclusion of a Nato summit in Washington when President Biden will be hosting the newly elected UK prime minister and other European leaders.

It could well mark Sir Keir’s debut on the global stage if Labour beat the Conservatives on July 4, as pollsters overwhelmingly expect.

For the Tories, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride declined to comment on the climactic outcome of the trial in New York but echoed that the UK Government would work with whoever is elected in November.

He told Times Radio: “Obviously these are extraordinary events.”

Pressed about whether the PM should trust the president of Britain’s closest ally if he is a convicted criminal, Mr Stride added: “What I’m absolutely sure of is whatever the outcome of the election, and I very much hope that Rishi is back in No10, that we will have a good and enduring, continuing positive relationship with the United States whoever goes on to be president in November.

“That relationship goes back many decades, has always been solid and has always been to our advantage and to the advantage of America in her leadership of the West.”

SIR KEIR SAYS LABOUR THE BETTER TORY PARTY

Keir Starmer slammed for having 'more positions on Brexit than the Kama Sutra' as Labour leader vows to hand power back to Brussels

The Labour leader set out a five-point plan to "make Brexit work" during a speech last night

Aden-Jay Wood

DIGITAL PRODUCER
PUBLISHED Tuesday 05 July 2022 - 

Sir Keir Starmer has been slammed for having “more positions on Brexit than the Kama Sutra” as the Labour leader set out a five-point plan to “make Brexit work”.

Speaking to the Centre for European Reform during an event at the Irish Embassy in London last night, Sir Keir ruled out rejoining the EU or the single market if Labour comes to power, insisting such moves would spark further division in Britain.

Sir Keir said Labour is “claiming the centre ground of British politics once again”, not from a “mushy place of compromise”, but driven by “purpose” and “optimism”.

But he essentially vowed to hand power and initiative back to Brussels at the same time, as he said he would “sort out” the Northern Ireland Protocol by agreeing a veterinary deal with the EU and stick to the bloc's rules on food and livestock exports.

Martin Daubney GB News

Sir Keir Starmer outlined plans to "make Brexit work" Stefan Rousseau

Deputy leader of the Reclaim Party, Martin Daubney, isn’t convinced by the new plans.

Speaking on GB News’ Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel, Mr Daubney said: “I mean you could say: 'Thank the lord, six years on, Keir Starmer has finally accepted the Brexit referendum.'

“You could however deduce that he’s doing this purely for cynical reasons because anyone who has campaigned in national elections, as I have twice, knocked on doors all over the East Midlands, West Midlands, the North will tell you, Keir Starmer has a massive Brexit problem.

"People don’t believe him and that’s for good reason.

Emily Thornberry GB News

“48 times Keir Starmer voted against Brexit, at every turn he led the people’s vote campaign to overturn the referendum."

He continued: “More positions on Brexit than the Kama Sutra, in, out, in, out, shake it all about.

“Here’s a guy we simply cannot trust, suddenly he’s saying 'trust me on Brexit to try and win over the voters.'

“Now I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, the voters don’t and his own party don’t.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has since spoken out against Sir Keir's comments, arguing for a return to the single market.

He said: “I believe our city and our country’s future is best served being members of the single market.”



Conservatives have to replace Boris Johnson to remain in power says Neil Parish: 'It's not if, it's now when'

But Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry has come out in defence of the plan.

She told GB News' Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel: "Many of us in the Labour Party campaigned to remain in the European Union, we lost the referendum.

"There were then campaigns in the two general elections, 2017 and 2019.

"2019, in particular, which was about Brexit. It was a single issue general election, we lost it.

"So now what we have to do is accept the reality, it’s a one-way street we have gone, and the fact of the matter is we would not be able to rejoin the European Union on the same term as we were before, it is simply impossible.

"So what we should be doing is making the best of the situation and we should be moving on and looking forward and being optimistic.

"But being prepared to face the problems we have as a nation, face the problems that we have with our nearest neighbours and make sure that we sort it out, not just be afraid as the Government are, they spend their time running away from it going 'don’t criticise us, you’re being unpatriotic'."

Starmer unveils new three-word Brexit slogans for Labour Party

The Labour leader said there is "no going back" and that he would "make Brexit work" in an era-defining change of tack.

 by Jack Peat
2022-07-05 
in Politics


Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out rejoining the EU or the single market if Labour comes to power, insisting such moves would sow further division in Britain.

He also said the UK would not join a customs union under his party’s leadership, as he set out a five-point plan to “make Brexit work”.

Sir Keir said Labour is “claiming the centre ground of British politics once again”, not from a “mushy place of compromise”, but driven by “purpose” and “optimism”.

He said he would say more about how it intends to get the country’s economy growing again “in the weeks and months to come”, but the first step is to make a success of leaving the EU.

“Make Brexit work”

In a speech to the Centre for European Reform at an event at the Irish Embassy in London, he said: “There are some who say, ‘We don’t need to make Brexit work – we need to reverse it’. I couldn’t disagree more.

“Because you cannot move forward or grow the country or deliver change or win back the trust of those who have lost faith in politics if you’re constantly focused on the arguments of the past.

“We cannot afford to look back over our shoulder because all the time we are doing that we are missing what is ahead of us.

“So let me be very clear. Under Labour, Britain will not go back into the EU. We will not be joining the single market. We will not be joining a customs union.”

“Stuck”

Sir Keir claimed the country is “stuck” with a Government without a plan – one that was elected on a promise to get Brexit done but “has now decided to re-open those old divisions” to keep Prime Minister Boris Johnson in charge.

He acknowledged some may not want to hear Britain would not return to the single market or a customs union under Labour, but added “it is my job to be frank and honest”.

“Nothing about revisiting those rows will help stimulate growth or bring down food prices or help British business thrive in the modern world,” he said.

“It would simply be a recipe for more division, it would distract us from taking on the challenges facing people and it would ensure Britain remained stuck for another decade.”

Sir Keir said the “starting point” of Labour’s plan for making Brexit work is to “sort out the Northern Ireland Protocol”.

Border checks

The party would eliminate “most border checks created by the Tory Brexit deal”, he said, and implement a “new veterinary agreement for Agri-products between the UK and EU”.

It would also work with business to put in place a “better scheme” to allow low-risk goods to enter Northern Ireland without “unnecessary checks”, he said.

The Labour leader admitted Britain would not be able to deliver “completely frictionless trade” with the EU outside of the bloc, but said there are “things we can do” to ease the process.

“Labour would extend that new veterinary agreement to cover all the UK, seeking to build on agreements and mechanisms already in place between the EU and other countries – benefiting our exporters at a stroke,” he said.

He pointed to a “hulking ‘fatberg’ of red tape and bureaucracy” under the deal brokered by the Conservatives, claiming this is “hampering the flow of British business”.

“We will break that barrier down, unclog the arteries of our economy and allow trade to flourish once more,” he added.

It comes amid a fierce row over the Government’s plans to overwrite parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol to allay concerns over its impact on the UK.

Post-Brexit treaty

Legislation to grant ministers the necessary powers to see this through cleared its first Commons hurdle last week, with no Tory MPs voting against it despite warnings the plans are illegal.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Johnson claimed few global leaders raised the issue of the post-Brexit treaty with him at recent summits.

In response to questioning from Sir Keir, he said: “He talks about the UK’s diplomatic ability to win people over.

“It was very striking in the conversations I had with leaders from around the world how few of them, if any, raised the issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol and how much people want to see common sense and no new barriers to trade.

“What the UK is doing is trying to reduce pointless barriers to trade and you’d have thought that he would support that.”

The remainder of Labour’s plan would see Britain’s industries supported by “mutual recognition of professional qualifications” and restored access to funding and research programmes, new security arrangements to defend the nation’s borders, and the delivery of “good, clean jobs of the future to our shores”.

Vote for change

Concluding his keynote speech, Sir Keir added: “In 2016, the British people voted for change. The very narrow question that was on the ballot paper – leaving or remaining in the EU – is now in the past.

“But the hope that underpinned that vote – the desire for a better, fairer, more equitable future for our country is no closer to being delivered.

“We will not return to freedom of movement to create short-term fixes, instead we will invest in our people and our places and deliver on the promise our country has.”

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow international trade secretary, suggested the party would not change its position on the matter even if public opinion shifted decisively against Brexit.

Asked on LBC’s Tonight With Andrew Marr if his party would think again if this were the case, he said: “We are not going to change our minds.”

Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Sir Keir of a “half-cock” attempt at copying the Conservatives’ plans.

Ahead of the Labour leader’s speech, he told LBC: “I’m fascinated by what he’s got to say, or reports of it … and what he wants to do, by and large, is things either that the Conservatives are doing (because) they want to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, so I hope he’ll support us on our Bill.

“And he wants recognition of qualifications, which we’ve already legislated for. So you do wonder if he was half asleep last year.

“I think all that Sir Keir is going to be saying later on today is that he wants to do what the Conservatives are doing but half-cock, so it’s not much of an announcement by him today.”

Earlier, during a round of broadcast interviews, Sir Keir said recent election results show Labour is making significant progress on the road to regaining power.

He told Sky News: “They (the Government) are on a downwards spiral and we are coming up.”

SEE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/07/making-labour-better-tory-party-make.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/07/reaction-as-angela-rayner-sacked-as.html