As Sir Keir Starmer prepares to deliver his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference, he is expected to say that the party has returned to the centre of the British political spectrum and is championing the needs of working people.
Sir Keir will emphasise that the party is ready to offer Britain a “fresh start”, quoting former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair in saying that the party is the “political wing of the British people”.
Much like Sir Tony did, Sir Keir believes that moving Labour back to the centre will make the party re-electable at the polls
The incumbent Labour leader will also pitch the party as the one of “sound money” and hit out at the Conservatives for their handling of the UK economy.
The markets have reacted adversely to chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s plans to implement large-scale tax cuts and increase borrowing, with the pound sterling plummeting against the US dollar. Much of Sir Keir’s line of attack will, therefore, be focused on the economic climate.
Sir Keir is expected to say: “What we've seen from the government in the past few days has no precedent.
“They've lost control of the British economy - and for what? For tax cuts for the richest one per cent in our society.”
Labour has made clear that it will reverse the chancellor’s decision to abolish the top tax bracket of 45 per cent on incomes over £150,000 but will retain the decrease in the basic rate of income tax, which will see it stand at 19 per cent in April 2023.
Sir Keir is also to target first-time buyers, promising to increase home ownership and front Labour as the “party of home ownership in Britain.”
He will make promises to reduce energy bills, address climate change and improve people’s living standards within his first 100 days as prime minister, and create more than one million new jobs across the UK through a green wealth fund.
Sir Keir will also outline that Labour would transform the country into a “growth superpower” by increasing investment in green energies such as hydrogen power, rather than through tax cuts.
He will promise to break the UK out of an “endless cycle of crisis” through a “new set of priorities and a new way of governing”.
He will add: “We should never be left cowering in a brace position, worrying about how to get through a winter. It's time for Britain to stand tall again.”
Sir Keir’s deliberate emphasis on Labour moving back toward the centre to appeal more to the electorate is also inspiring confidence in his shadow cabinet.
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said that he feels “more confident about Labour's ability to take over government than at any point since the last Labour government.”
Streeting added that the nation was more in danger from “continuity with the Conservatives” in power, rather than Labour entering power to instigate change.
However, Streeting stressed that Labour needed to offer more than the “least-worst option” for voters.
“I want people to vote for Labour because we've got a serious plan with a serious team and people believe we will make a difference for people,” he explained.
