UK’s Starmer rules out austerity as Labour conference opens

LIVERPOOL - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to protect public services and ruled out austerity measures as Labour’s annual conference kicked off on Sept 22, its first in 15 years as a government party.

The four-day gathering in Liverpool, north-west England, comes three months after Labour secured a general election victory over the Conservatives.

Under pressure on several fronts, the party will have to strike a balance between celebrating Labour’s long-awaited victory, defending its record and not letting up on reminders of “difficult decisions” to come.

After months of gloom about Britain’s economy, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner struck a more optimistic note in a key speech on Sept 22, standing in front of a red background emblazoned with the slogan “Change begins”.

Peppered with light-hearted quips and applause, the speech recounted the government’s first three months in power, with Ms Rayner – also in charge of housing and communities – promising to “fix the foundations and put Britain back on the path to growth”.

Ahead of the conference, Mr Starmer told the Observer newspaper that his government had in 11 weeks done “far more than the last government did probably in the last 11 years”.

He cited ambitious home-building targets, the setting up of a publicly owned green energy investment body and the recruitment of police officers and teachers.

However, an Opinium poll for the Observer ahead of the conference showed that Mr Starmer’s approval rating had suffered a huge drop since July, with only 24 per cent approving of the job he was doing.

‘Changed Britain’

Despite laying the groundwork for likely funding cuts and tax rises in the budget due at the end of October, Mr Starmer told the Sunday Mirror he would not go “down the road of austerity”.

He repeated his warning that he will do the “tough things first”, but also told the Observer he would “make sure that our public services are functioning properly”, and vowed to shield working people from tax rises.

Ms Rayner, meanwhile, in her speech announced that a historic overhaul of workers’ rights will be put to Parliament next month, including a ban on zero-hour contracts and a minimum wage raise.

She also announced housing measures, weeks after a damning report on the deadly 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze. The measures include bringing forward a plan to tackle unsafe cladding and ensure affordable housing improvements.

Also included are an end to no-fault evictions and the extension of a law to tackle mould and damp in the private sector.

Union pressure

The conference brings a much-needed morale boost after a week dominated by negative headlines for Mr Starmer. He was reported to have received more

than £100,000 (S$172,000) in declared gifts and hospitality

since December 2019 – the most of any MP.

While the gifts were declared and did not breach parliamentary rules, the row broke as his government was pushing Britons to accept short-term “pain for long-term good” to help fill the £22 billion “black hole” in public finances that he said the Tories left behind.

Criticism by the media and opposition also followed a hugely unpopular move by the government to means-test winter fuel payments that slashed benefits for 10 million pensioners.

The fallout from the cuts has also increased pressure on Labour from unions, with a turnaround on the policy a priority for Unite trade union general secretary Sharon Graham.

“It is a cruel policy. I would like him to say that he has made a misstep and to reverse that policy,” she told Sky News on Sept 22.

Unite also unveiled a series of billboards across Liverpool calling to “defend the winter fuel payment”.

However, Mr Starmer hinted at further possible cuts.

“It is going to be tough,” he told the Observer, referring to the budget due at the end of October.

Labour MPs gathered in Liverpool a day after the hard-right, anti-immigration Reform party – which won 14 per cent of the vote – hosted a jubilant conference in Birmingham.

The Conservatives will have their meet-up next week amid divisive battles for leadership and the direction of the party. AFP