Do you assume Keir Starmer’s ‘Plan for Change’ will work? Vote in our ballot
Keir Starmer has announced Labour’s ‘Plan for Change’ in a major speech this morning, where he laid out the key targets for delivering on his promise to rebuild Britain.
The PM’s pledges for the next five years have arrived just months after Starmer entered No10 following his landmark general election victory in July. During his speech at Pinewood Studios, Starmer highlighted the issues left by the Tory government, saying: “Prisons are overflowing, the NHS is on its knees, a £22 billion hole in the public finances.”
The Labour leader accused Whitehall of becoming “comfortable with failure”, as he vowed “a profound cultural shift away from a declinist mentality”, as well as transparency about the “trade-offs” required to reach these targets. Under the six new “measurable milestones”, includes a promise that 92 percent of routine operations and appointments will be carried out within 18 weeks by 2029 – and in time for the next election.
The PM said this achievement would be a “symbol of the NHS back on its feet”. In the October Budget, Labour made fixing the crisis-hit NHS a priority, with chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a £22billion boost in day-to-day health spending.
Starmer also pledged to “raise living standards in every region of the country”, adding the UK was aiming for the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket”. Another of Labour’s key “missions” includes building 1.5million new homes in England by the end of the Parliament in 2029.
The PM said planning laws are “suffocating the aspiration of working families” and stopping new homes, reservoirs, laboratories and new projects going ahead. In the government’s documents released today, it has vowed to fast-track planning decisions to deliver on the promise and at least 150 major infrastructure projects across the country.
As part of the mission to “stamp out anti-social behaviour”, the PM has promised 13,000 extra neighbourhood policing officers, PCSOs and special constables in England and Wales by the end of this Parliament. In a bid for safer streets, he promised to put thousands more bobbies on the beat, with a named, contactable officer in every community.
These officers will provide “a relief to millions of people scared to walk their streets they call home”. With one in three children not ready for school at the age of five, Starmer announced today to raise this figure in England to a record 75 percent.
Teachers are losing more than two hours a day in reception classes, with a quarter of children starting school not fully toilet trained, while behaviour problems are spiralling. The PM said it would be a “scandal” not to allow “every child the chance to succeed”. Finally, Starmer confirmed a target to ensure at least 95 percent clean power by 2030. This essentially means electricity coming from wind, solar and nuclear resources.
This is to stop consumers being left at the mercy of tyrants such as Vladimir Putin. His invasion of Ukraine in 2021 led to spiralling energy bills across Europe. Following Starmer’s ‘Plan for Change’ announcement today, we want to know if YOU believe the six milestones are achievable. Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
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