‘Rebuild Britain’: Labour’s Starmer Sets out Party’s First Steps for Government

Britain’s opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer pledged on Thursday to “rebuild Britain,” setting out what he called the first steps in government if his party wins a national election later this year.
Starmer, who has pulled his party towards the political centre ground after it had veered to the left, set out his six priorities at a campaign launch, but was cautious in what he offered saying he would only promise what could be afforded.
Labour suffered a heavy defeat at the last election in 2019, but is well ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservatives in opinion polls, making Starmer favorite to be Britain’s next leader.
In a speech in Essex, Starmer said if in government Labour would focus on growing the economy while keeping tax, inflation and mortgage rates as low as possible, reducing waiting times in the state-run health service, cracking down on people smuggling gangs and boosting green energy supplies.
The other priorities would be tackling antisocial behavior with more neighborhood police and recruiting thousands of new teachers paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools. “One card, six steps in your hand, a plan to change the country. This is a message that we can take to every doorstep across the country,” he told the audience, referring to credit card-sized checklists – a tactic reminiscent of one used by former Prime Minister Tony Blair when he won office in 1997.
“With patience, with determination, with these first steps we can rebuild our country with Labour,” he said, standing in front of his policy chiefs.