Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that rebuilding Britain after years of conservative governance would be a 'long-term project' during his inaugural speech at the Labour party conference on Tuesday. At 62, Starmer defended some of his new government's initial actions, asserting it was his 'duty to the British people to confront necessary decisions'. Since ousting the Conservative party in a decisive election victory in July, the Labour leader has faced increasing demands to present a more optimistic vision for the nation. He emphasized that Britain must engage in a 'shared struggle' and that he would resist 'easy answers' in his nearly one-hour speech, marking the first time in 15 years a Labour leader has addressed the conference.
However, Starmer also attempted to infuse some optimism, stating that 'there is light at the end of this tunnel'. After leading the centre-left Labour party back to power for the first time since 2010, Starmer quickly faced criticism for canceling payments intended to assist the elderly with winter heating bills. The lead-up to the conference was also marred by a controversy over gifts received by Starmer and other parliamentarians. These issues have somewhat dampened the celebrations at Labour's four-day gathering in Liverpool, but Starmer aimed to regain control of the narrative by arguing that it will require time and sacrifice to fix Britain.
'The politics of national renewal are collective. They involve a shared struggle,' he stated. 'A project that says, to everyone, this will be tough in the short term but in the long term it's the right thing to do for our country. And we all benefit from that.' Starmer alluded to recent criticism of him and his finance minister Rachel Reeves, who have been accused of negatively impacting economic growth and investment in Britain by being overly pessimistic about the nation's state. He has spent much of his first weeks in power blaming the Tories for leaving everything in disarray, from public finances to prisons and the state-run National Health Service.
The Tories accuse him of scaremongering over the inheritance and of preparing the ground for tax increases in the October 30 budget. Starmer has already cautioned that the budget will be 'painful'. 'I know that the cost-of-living crisis drew a veil over the joy and wonder in our lives and that people want respite and relief -- and may even have voted Labour for that reason,' Starmer said. 'Our project has not and never will change. I changed the Labour Party to restore it to the service of working people. And that is exactly what we will do for Britain. But I will not do it with easy answers. I will not do it with false hope.' He dismissed 'bad faith advice from people who still yearn for the politics of noisy performance' and 'the weak and cowardly fantasy of populism' as 'water off a duck's back'. Taking 'tough long-term decisions now' will mean the 'light at the end of this tunnel' can be reached 'much more quickly', he added.
Labour is seeking to move past a row over expensive gifts, including clothes and concert tickets, given to Starmer and other senior Labour figures. Although all the gifts were within parliamentary rules, Starmer has had to defend against accusations of hypocrisy, especially as he is urging ordinary Britons to tighten their belts. His speech was met with several standing ovations, and one heckler was promptly removed by security. Starmer highlighted some of Labour's initial legislative efforts, such as a new national wealth fund, a publicly owned green energy company, and the renationalization of Britain's railways. 'We're only just getting started,' he concluded.
