In his first major speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer will issue a stark warning that life in the UK is “going to get worse” before it gets better. This address, set to take place just a week before Parliament reconvenes after a shortened summer recess, marks a pivotal moment in his leadership. Starmer will use this opportunity to lay out the significant challenges facing the nation and his government’s commitment to tackling them head-on.
Sir Keir will sharply criticize the previous government, stating that the situation they left behind is “worse than we ever imagined.” He will argue that his administration has not only inherited an economic crisis but a broader societal one as well. This dual challenge, he will say, underscores the urgent need for a new approach to governance and policymaking.
In his remarks on Tuesday, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of honesty and transparency with the public. He will acknowledge the difficult choices that lie ahead, noting that the road to recovery will be tough. “We must be straightforward about the challenges we face,” Starmer will say. “Frankly, conditions will deteriorate before they improve.”
A central theme of Sir Keir’s speech will be the dire financial situation the new government has uncovered. He will echo Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’s claim that Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government left behind a £22 billion deficit in this year’s budget. This revelation, Starmer will argue, is a critical obstacle to the nation’s economic recovery.
Finally, Sir Keir will emphasize that the scale of this financial crisis was hidden even from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). He will highlight a letter from the OBR confirming they were unaware of the true extent of the deficit because it had been concealed by the previous administration. This, he will conclude, is why his government must take decisive action and do things differently. In his upcoming speech, Sir Keir Starmer will accuse the Conservatives, who have been in power since 2010, of overseeing “14 years of populism and failure.” He will argue that this governance has enabled participants in the recent riots to “exploit the cracks in our society.”
One of the initial actions taken by the Labour government was to decrease the portion of sentences that offenders are required to serve in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Ministers have justified this move by highlighting that the previous administration had allowed prison capacities to nearly reach their limits.
Earlier this week, the government initiated Operation Early Dawn, permitting defendants to be detained in police cells for extended periods until additional prison spaces become available. Addressing this issue in his speech, Sir Keir will state, “Lacking sufficient prison spaces represents one of the most fundamental failures possible. Those individuals throwing rocks, setting cars ablaze, and making threats weren’t just aware of the system’s flaws—they were exploiting them.”
While acknowledging that change will not occur “overnight,” the Prime Minister is expected to claim that Labour has accomplished “more in seven weeks than the last government did in seven years.” He will cite achievements such as establishing a National Wealth Fund, reforming planning policies to facilitate the construction of more homes, and bringing an end to public sector strikes.
Conservative Party Chairman Richard Fuller MP responded by saying, “Just two months in, and Keir Starmer has revoked winter fuel payments from 10 million pensioners, allocated billions of taxpayer pounds to his union allies, and become entangled in a cronyism scandal by placing donors and supporters in high-profile, taxpayer-funded positions.
“The lenient Labour Chancellor is wasting public funds while fabricating a financial black hole to deceive the public into accepting tax increases, effectively leaving pensioners out in the cold. The Prime Minister should instruct his Chancellor to reverse these decisions or intervene personally to correct her actions.”
Sir Keir’s address comes ahead of what could be a challenging period for the government as it prepares to present its first budget on October 30.