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The stump speech, rolled up sleeves and a “first steps” six-point plan: Sir Keir Starmer is clear he isn’t the heir to Blair, but he certainly evoked the spirit of Tony Blair who, back in 1997, issued a five-point pledge card with the strap line: “Keep this card and see that we keep our promises.”
Sir Keir, in a rally which started the firing gun on Labour’s general election campaign, effectively did the same. Having laid out five missions for government over a year ago, today he put flesh on the bones with his own six-point pledge card as a “downpayment” on what an incoming Labour government would do.
In a speech that cited change again and again, the Labour leader made clear promises he believes he can keep: deliver economic stability; cut NHS waiting times; launch a new border command; set up Great British Energy; crack down on anti-social behaviour; recruit 6,500 new teachers.
As promises go, they were light on time frames and numbers and clearly watered down from the “five missions” of a Labour government Sir Keir outlined early last year.
Politics latest: Starmer interrupted as he outlines ‘first steps’ of Labour government
The “mission” on the economy is to become the fastest growing in the G7 but in the “retail offer” Labour is going to take onto the doorstep, the promise is “economic stability”.
The mission on green energy is to make sure all of our electricity comes from renewable power sources by 2030. But the pledge on the card? Set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power company to cut bills.
But when I asked Sir Keir why he seemed to be scaling back his…
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