Keir Starmer
Keir Starmer

Labour’s fully costed and funded Manifesto for the 2024 General Election – Change can be found here and in PDF form here

Introduction by Keir Starmer – Leader of the Labour Party

My plan for change

Keir Starmer speaking at a podium at a Labour Party event.

This election is about change.

A chance to stop the endless Conservative chaos that has directly harmed the finances of every family in Britain.

A moment where we can turn the page on a set of ideas that, over 14 years, have consistently left us more vulnerable in an increasingly volatile world.

And an opportunity to begin the work of national renewal. A rebuilding of our country, so that it once again serves the interests of working people.

Every great nation is held together by shared beliefs. To outsiders they may not seem exceptional or distinctive, but they are essential for a sense of collective national purpose. Britain is no different, but at this moment two of our most important beliefs are in grave danger.

First, that politics should be driven by a sense of service to the country, not considerations of party or self-interest.

Second, that if you work hard then – whoever you are, wherever you started in life – Britain is a country that will respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to get on.

When I consider these beliefs, it is hard not to think back to my childhood. Then, as now, Britain’s place in the world was uncertain. Then, as now, our economy was gripped by stuttering growth and a cost-of-living crisis that hurt working people.

Yet back then, there was at least a degree of security in being able to take those two fundamental beliefs for granted. For families like mine, this was a comfort. The knowledge that Britain would offer your children a better future gave us hope. A hope that may not sound high-minded or particularly idealistic, but which families like mine could build a life around.

To restore this hope, we must first end the Conservative chaos. The visible decline in our communities – families weighed down by soaring mortgages; people waiting on trolleys in A&E; sewage in our rivers – is not an accident. Rather, it is a direct result of a governing party that, time and again, puts its own interests and obsessions above the issues that affect families.

The result is a vicious cycle – decline feeding off chaos, chaos feeding off decline – that will continue if they return for five more years. Only a Labour government can break this cycle and stop the chaos.

We must turn the page decisively on the Conservative ideas that have caused the chaos.

The world has become increasingly volatile, with a major war in Europe for the first time in a generation and ever greater threats to the living standards of working people. This ‘age of insecurity’ requires the government to step up, not stand aside.

This means a return to the foundations of good government: national security, secure borders, and economic stability. But it also requires an enduring partnership with business to deliver the economic growth we need. It needs more focus on long- term strategy, not the short-term distractions that can animate Westminster. And it demands a final and total rejection of the toxic idea that economic growth is gifted from the few to the many.

Because whether it is crashing the pound to give tax cuts to the richest 1%; degrading public services because of a mess made by the banks; or the failure to invest in clean British energy that left us exposed when Putin invaded Ukraine – so much of what Britain has been through in the past 14 years is explained by a Conservative failure to face the future. Only Labour can turn the page.

Keir Starmer speaks to a group of people in a community hub, while holding a cup of tea.

We must rebuild our country. It will not be easy. Not only because there is no quick fix to the mess the Conservatives have made. But also, because their failures have sapped our collective confidence that Britain can still achieve great things. I reject this with every fibre of my being. Despite all the chaos inflicted on Britain, the country I see is one where working people never let each other down. They came together in the pandemic – missed weddings, funerals and last goodbyes – to save the lives of people they will never meet. They dug deep in the years of austerity, to keep delivering the public services people needed. And throughout the cost-of-living crisis, they found a way to support those less fortunate than themselves.

We are still a great nation. We can still achieve great things. What we lack is a government that can match the ambition working people have for their family and community, with a credible long-term plan.

This manifesto is that plan. Fully costed, fully funded – built on a rock of fiscal responsibility.

At its heart are five national missions – with clear first steps to begin the journey of rebuilding – that provide a clear destination for everyone invested in Britain’s future. A new Britain, where wealth is created in every community. Where the golden opportunity of clean British power is harnessed for lower bills. Where your town centre has been revitalised and everyone feels safe to walk the streets. Where you can go to work and know you will be treated with dignity and respect. Where our children are equipped with the skills to thrive in the future. Where our NHS is once again at the cutting edge of healthcare. And where we show that politics can be about serving the country.

Keir Starmer greeting a father and his small son in a high street.

I know some people will roll their eyes at this last sentence. Yet serving our country is the only reason I came into politics. The defining purpose of my Labour leadership has been to drag my party away from the dead end of gesture politics and return it once more to the service of working people. I have changed my party. Now I want the chance to bring that change to the country.

But to succeed we need everyone, every community, to play their part. I know, after everything you have been through in the past 14 years, that this is a hard request to make. But I also expect, deep down, that you know this is what our country needs now – an end to the chaos, a turning of the page, and a patient but determined rebuilding of our country.

So, I invite you to join us in this common endeavour of national renewal. It is time to change Britain.

Keir Starmer

Leader of the Labour Party

Keir Starmer signature
Labour
Labour's First Steps

Labour’s First Steps for Change show our first priorities in a Labour Government to deliver on the five national missions.

  1. Deliver economic stability with tough spending rules, so we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.
  1. Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments each week, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-doms.
  1. Launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators and counter-terror powers to smash criminal gangs and strengthen our borders.
  1. Set up Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company, to cut bills for good and boost energy security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
  1. Crack down on antisocial behaviour, with more neighbourhood police paid for by ending wasteful contracts, tough new penalties for offenders, and a new network of youth hubs.
  1. Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects to set children up for life, work and the future, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools

The full manifesto for the 2024 General Election to be held on 4th July 2024 has been released shortly and is be available here.

Labour’s Five National Missions

“Britain needs a mission-driven government to end short term sticking-plaster politics. These five bold missions will form the backbone of Labour’s election manifesto and will drive forward a Labour government.”

Keir Starmer MP
Leader of the Labour Party

1- Get Britain building again – Good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

A Labour Government will:

  • Take tough decisions to restore economic stability and secure our economy.
  • Reduce energy bills and invest in the jobs and industries of the future via our Green Prosperity Plan and Great British Energy, a new publicly owned clean generation company.
  • Build more homes and help first time buyers with ‘first dibs’ on new homes in their area.

2- Switch on Great British Energy – British people are facing challenges with higher bills and stagnant wages. The only way to cut energy bills for good and deliver energy security is to shift decisively to clean, homegrown low carbon power. Create jobs, cut bills and boost energy security with zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero.

A Labour Government will:

  • Create Great British Energy, a new publicly-owned clean power generation company to cut your energy bills and deliver good jobs.
  • Cut your energy bill for good – making families up to £1,400 better off a year.
  • Create 500,000 new, skilled jobs in the industries of the future, rebuilding the strength of our industrial heartlands.
  • Deliver energy security so we’re not dependent on dictators like Putin.

3- Get the NHS back on its feet – There when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

A Labour government will:

  • Cut waiting times by giving the NHS the staff and technology it needs.
  • End the 8am scramble for GP appointments and giving patients a choice of appointments in person or on the phone.
  • Improve cancer survival rates and reduce deaths from heart disease and suicide.
  • More care in the community so patients aren’t stuck in hospital.

4- Take back our streets – Labour believes that feeling secure is the bedrock on which opportunities are built, communities can thrive, and local economies can prosper. That is why Making Britain’s Streets Safe is one of the five missions that will give Britain its future back. Halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels.

A Labour government will:

  • Put 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on our streets.
  • Halve violence against women and girls, and tougher sentences for rapists.
  • Introduce new ‘Respect Orders’, a tough new order with criminal sanctions for antisocial behaviour.

5- Break down barriers to opportunity – Reform the childcare and education systems, raise standards everywhere, and prepare young people for work and life

A Labour government will:

  • Create a modern childcare system with breakfast clubs in every primary school to give children the best start.
  • Make sure there’s a world class teacher in every classroom, recruiting 6,500 new staff, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.
  • Introduce a broader curriculum, developing creativity, digital and speaking skills that ensure young people leave school ready for work and ready for life.
  • Expand apprenticeships and skills training to spread opportunity for all.

More information can be found at www.labour.org.uk/missions

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