LIVERPOOL: Britain’s opposition leader promises on Tuesday that a future Labour government would “heal” the UK after 13 years of Conservative rule, tackling a cost-of-living crisis sparked by Brexit, pandemic lockdowns and the war in Ukraine.
Keir Starmer is set to pledge to “get Britain’s future back” if Labour wins a general election tipped for next year.
Starmer warns that the path will be difficult to recover from a cost-of-living crisis sparked by the UK’s departure from the European Union, Covid restrictions and the conflict in Ukraine. “People are looking to us because they want our wounds to heal and we are the healers,” Starmer said, promising a “decade of national renewal”.
“People are looking to us because they want us to build a new Britain and we are the builders,” he added.
The speech comes with the opposition party enjoying double-digit leads in most opinion polls ahead of a general election that Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must call by January 2025.
Starmer has shepherded Labour back to the centre ground since becoming leader in April 2020, after succeeding left-winger Jeremy Corbyn following a landslide defeat to the Tories at the last general election in 2019.
“There is a vision here that I have not seen sort of presented by the party in a while,” said Labour Party member Henry Pearl.
“I feel that we’re a government in waiting, as opposed to an opposition party,” the 27-year-old said. Despite being well ahead in the polls, Starmer has faced criticism for being too cautious and for not clearly spelling out a vision for the United Kingdom.
Observers are keen to see whether he puts some flesh on the bones of his party’s policies during the speech or whether he decides not to reveal his hand too early, with the date of the election uncertain.
“He’s not as bombastic as previous leaders are but I think he’s sort of sensible and strong and has that sort of gumption to get us over the line,” added Pearl.
Labour rolled out a few policies at the conference, which kicked off on Sunday and is possibly the last before the election.
Starmer announced a £1.5-billion plan to tackle waiting lists in the state-run National Health Service that have ballooned due to the impact of industrial action and a huge Covid pandemic backlog. — AFP
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