Sir Keir Starmer vows to ‘make Brexit work’ as he insists he IS a patriot and attacks PM over cost-of-living crisis in major New Year speech
- Labour leader Keir Starmer today unveiled his ‘Contract With The British People’ in major New Year speech
- Sir Keir attacked Boris Johnson over the cost of living crisis as he outlined his vision for running the country
- The Labour premier also vowed to make ‘Brexit work’ as he insisted that he and the Labour party is patriotic
Sir Keir Starmer today vowed to ‘make Brexit work’ and insisted he and the Labour Party are ‘patriotic’ as he set out his vision for running the country.
The Labour leader took repeated aim at Boris Johnson in a major New Year speech in Birmingham as he looked to take advantage of the Prime Minister’s difficult last few months by unveiling a new ‘Contract With The British People’.
Sir Keir, who backed Remain at the 2016 EU referendum, criticised the PM’s handling of Brexit as he said he would ensure the UK can ‘profit from our strong global relationships’.
He defended his credentials as a patriot as he said ‘I don’t think you cease to be a patriot because you notice your country has flaws’.
He also fired a broadside at Mr Johnson over the cost of living crisis as he claimed the Government’s ‘incompetence is becoming plain’.
Sir Keir started 2022 with his party ahead of the Tories in a series of recent opinion polls, after Mr Johnson suffered a bruising December with 100 of his MPs rebelling over coronavirus restrictions, a row over Downing Street parties and the North Shropshire by-election loss.
A new poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies published today showed the Conservatives have rebounded and are now three points behind Labour.
Sir Keir Starmer today vowed to ‘make Brexit work’ and insisted he and the Labour Party are ‘patriotic’ as he set out his vision for running the country
The Labour leader took repeated aim at Boris Johnson in a major New Year speech as he looked to take advantage of the Prime Minister’s difficult last few months
A new year poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows the Conservatives have rebounded and are now just three points behind Labour
Sir Keir Starmer today unveiled a new ‘Contract With The British People’ which sets out ‘how a good government should conduct itself’.
The ‘contract’ is comprised of three clauses, based on the three principles of security, prosperity and respect.
Security
– Everyone has the basic right to feel safe in their own community.
– We all need to know that the NHS is there for us when we need it.
– And if we work hard we should also have a right to job security.
Prosperity
– Everyone should have the opportunity to thrive.
– To realise our ambitions and make a good life for ourselves.
– To have the skills we need to prosper.
Respect
– Respect is a less obvious political virtue than Security and Prosperity.
– But it is every bit as important.
– Everyone has the right to live in places we care for and to have our lives and ambitions taken seriously to be valued for who we are and what we do.
Setting out a new ‘Contract With The British People’, Sir Keir said: ‘I think that as we begin this new year, Britain has entered a new phase.
‘Because just as the Government has revealed itself to be unworthy of your trust, its incompetence is becoming plain.
‘The cost of living is increasing. Energy bills are going up; wages are stagnant. Tax rises are coming in April. Too many people do not feel safe in their streets. And good luck to anyone trying to get a quick GP appointment.
‘I want to start the new year by making a pledge of straight leadership. Today I want to introduce my Contract With The British People.
‘This will be a solemn agreement about what this country needs and how a good government should conduct itself.’
The Labour premier said that ‘just because the Tories lose the public’s trust it doesn’t mean Labour simply inherits it’ because ‘trust has to be earned’.
Sir Keir said the ‘first clause’ in his new contract with the nation is ‘a binding commitment about decency and standards in public life’.
Pointing to the so-called Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership, he said: ‘My solemn promise to you will always be to run a government that honours these principles.
‘I have a very clear idea of what a Labour government would look like. And in 2022 I want to take my plans to the British people.’
Sir Keir said the contract will be based on the three principles of security, prosperity and respect, and he will hold a series of events in the coming months to ‘persuade people to sign up to this new Britain that we can create together’.
On the first issue of security, Sir Keir said Labour would deliver everyone the ‘basic right to feel safe in their own community’, to ensure the NHS is ‘there for us when we need it, and that ‘if we work hard we should also have a right to job security’.
On prosperity, he said that ‘everyone should have the opportunity to thrive’, to ‘realise our ambitions’ and to ‘have the skills we need to prosper’.
And on the issue of respect, he said that respect is ‘every bit as important’ as security and prosperity, and ‘everyone has the right to live in places we care for and to have our lives and ambitions taken seriously, to be valued for who we are and what we do’.
Sir Keir, who backed Remain at the 2016 EU referendum , criticised the PM’s handling of Brexit as he said he would ensure the UK can ‘profit from our strong global relationships’.
Meanwhile, on Brexit, Sir Keir said he is ‘determined that Britain should profit from our strong global relationships’ as he criticised Mr Johnson’s approach.
‘That means not just getting Brexit done but making Brexit work,’ he said.
Sir Keir vowed to ‘repair’ critical strategic alliances as he said: ‘Making Brexit work is painstaking work, and slogans won’t cut it.
‘My goals will be to repair the alliances that this government has damaged while also ensuring that our borders remain safe and secure.’
Sir Keir delivered the speech in front of a large Union flag and he used the address to try to cement his ‘patriotic’ credentials.
He said he wanted to use the address to ‘celebrate the country we live in’ as he joked that criticising and opposing the Government ‘can make us sound pretty miserable’.
Sir Keir said the ‘Labour Party is a deeply patriotic party’, adding: ‘This country has presented me with great opportunities. It’s a great place to live. But I don’t think you cease to be a patriot because you notice your country has flaws.
‘On the contrary, the reason we in this party want to correct those flaws is precisely because we are patriotic.’
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