Keir Starmer, Labour Party leader, has pledged to prioritize wealth creation and economic growth in the UK in the party’s manifesto, positioning it as a central theme for his campaign.
Speaking at the Co-op headquarters in Manchester, Starmer emphasized the importance of addressing the nation’s economic issues and presented a vision aimed at winning over former Tory voters.
Economic growth as a cornerstone
Starmer highlighted the broken nature of current wealth creation systems, stating,
“The way we create wealth is broken. It leaves far too many people feeling insecure. Wealth creation is our number one priority.”
He assured that Labour is both pro-business and pro-worker, aiming to balance economic growth with social equity.
The Labour leader criticized the uneven distribution of opportunities across Britain, pointing to issues such as lack of housing, the cost of living crisis, low wages, and inadequate healthcare as factors holding back potential.
Britain has lost its balance. It is too hard for people to get on. Opportunity is not spread evenly.
Five missions and cautious approach
The manifesto focuses on five key missions: economic growth, clean energy, halving crime, reforming childcare and education, and building a future-ready NHS.
This pared-back approach contrasts with the Conservative’s more policy-heavy offering and reflects Labour’s strategy to avoid giving opponents opportunities to undermine their campaign.
Starmer emphasized the long-term nature of the proposed changes, stating, “We don’t have a magic wand.”
He downplayed the absence of new policies in the manifesto, asserting,
“It’s not about rabbits out of a hat, not about pantomime. I’m running as the candidate to be prime minister, not to run the circus.”
Business-friendly policies and ethics reform
The manifesto aims to restore Labour’s economic credibility and attract former Conservative voters. It promises not to raise corporation tax and plans to launch an industrial strategy centered on clean energy and rapid planning reforms to incentivize new infrastructure development.
Starmer also committed to setting the highest standards in public life, proposing a new ethics and integrity commission.
The party plans to legislate to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords and introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80. Additionally, Labour intends to make it easier to remove disgraced peers and ensure active participation in the second chamber.
Starmer reaffirmed his long-term goal to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber, although the manifesto does not provide a specific timeline for this change.
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