The state will take back control of people’s lives, says Starmer…
“Sir Keir Starmer has said the state will take more “control” in people’s lives. In his first speech to the Labour conference since entering N0 10, the Prime Minister invoked the “take back control” slogan popularised during Brexit to warn about the impact of unfettered free markets and a small state. Areas that he claimed would benefit from government control included the NHS, energy, justice, education, the office and the economy. Sir Keir said he was willing to be “unpopular”…His speech – which included the words “control” or “uncontrolled” 15 times – marked a stark contrast to his first speech as Prime Minister in July, in which he told the public he would “tread more lightly on your lives”… Senior Conservatives criticised his approach…” – The Daily Telegraph
- 6 key takeaways from Starmer’s speech – The Times
- He warns ‘unpopular’ decisions needed to ‘fix’ broken Britain – The Financial Times
- Labour’s big celebration party has somehow gone flat – The Times
- Keep the faith, he urges, as he vows to build ‘a new Britain’ – The Guardian
- He tells Nimbys pylons and houses are essential for UK growth – The I
- Starmer speech: Bear with me, improving things takes time – The Times
- ‘Get a grip’: Why has the Labour government been so bad at politics? – The Financial Times
- Why Starmer’s pledge to house veterans could end up being an empty promise? – The I
- Hillsborough Law will put ‘duty of candour’ on all public officials – The Times
- Brexit it back with a bang at Labour conference, but who will blink first? – The I
- He blames his son’s GCSEs for taking £20,000 accommodation freebie – The Daily Mail
Editorial and Comment:
- Starmer is dragging us back to the 1970s – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- The Prime Minister’s speech will be remembered only for an egregious gaffe – Editorial, The Times
- We applaud parts of Starmer’s speech but Britain needs genuine realism about the challenges of the future – Editorial, The Sun
- Starmer’s slip-up shows how little her cares about Israel’s hostages – Allison Pearson, The Daily Telegraph
- To go with the sausages, Starmer dished up some pretty thin gruel – Tom Peck, The Times
- Starmer must declare war on the unions, or they’ll destroy him – Tom Harris, The Daily Telegraph
- Growth is great, but what’s the actual plan? – Jenni Russell, The Times
- Clueless Starmer is blind to the scale of disaster to come – Annabel Denham, The Daily Telegraph
- The Prime Minister needs the public’s trust to be able to make the hard choices to come – Jessice Elgot, The Guardian
- Starmer finally, unwittingly, adds meat to his argument – Tim Stanley, The Daily Telegraph
- He has a cunning plan (possibly) – Kitty Donaldson, The I
- Starmer’s conference speech was like constipating forcemeat – Quentin Letts, The Daily Mail
- His speech was big on promises, but vague on how he’s going to pay for it all – Harry Cole, The Sun
>Today:
…as he confirms GB Energy will be based in Aberdeen…
“GB Energy, the government’s clean energy firm, will be based in Aberdeen in a boost for the Scottish city that has fallen on tougher times as the North Sea oil and gas basin declines. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made the much-anticipated announcement during his speech to the annual Labour party conference on Tuesday. The government had promised to base the new state-owned vehicle in Scotland but had not confirmed which city it would be in. Other mooted locations included Glasgow and Edinburgh…Basing GB Energy in Scotland was a centrepiece of the party’s offer to Scottish voters. Labour made strong gains north of the border in the general election on July 4, dealing a blow to the Scottish National party.” – The Financial Times
- Miliband is poised to wreck Britain – Starmer has little time to rein him in – Philip Johnston, The Daily Telegraph
…as he tells UK nationals to leave Lebanon ‘now’ as British troops sent to Cyprus…
“The Prime Minister told UK nationals in Lebanon “now is the time to leave” as British troops were deployed to Cyprus amid fears of further military escalation in the region. Up to 10,000 Britons could require evacuation from Lebanon if commercial air routes and roads are closed off due to fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, which has intensified over recent days. Sir Keir Starmer called for a calming of tensions and said it was time to “pull back from the brink”, as the Defence Secretary, John Healy, confirmed that emergency evacuation plans were being stepped up… Military personal will be supported by Border Force and Foreign Office officials and will be on hand to assist the evacuation of thousands of Brits.” – The I
…and as Eagle sparks diplomatic row by accusing Trump of ‘emboldening racist’, as Starmer flies to the UN
“Keir Starmer flew to the United Nations last night as a diplomatic row blew up over Donald Trump. One of his top ministers accused the former US President of emboldening racists in Britain. On the eve of the PM’s trip to new York, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle reportedly said the Republican helped breed “overt racism” with “vitriol” against migrants. Trump’s spokesman fired back: “Nobody knows who this random person is or cares what comes out of her mouth.” Sir Keir was understood to be keen on meeting presidential candidates Trump and Kamala Harris this week, during his trip to the UN General Assembly. A live debate over whether to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with Western missiles is looming.” – The Sun
>Today:
Reeves prepares to ‘rewrite debt rules’ to unlock £50 billion in spending
“Rachel Reeves is considering rewriting Britain’s debt rules in a move that could unlock up to £50bn of spending in her maiden Budget. The Chancellor is understood to be considering changing how debt is calculated to take into account investment spending, as she gave the clearest signal yet that she wanted to relax the rules. Speaking at an event…Ms Reeves said: “We will set out the details of the fiscal rules at the Budget. But as I said, it is important that we count the benefits of public investment and not just the costs of it.”… Ms Reeves has two self-imposed borrowing goals. The first allows her to borrow for investment as long as she brings day-to-day spending back into balance within five years. The second rule states that she must get debt falling after five years.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Reeves sets apart Labour’s fiscal approach from the Tories’ and signals more borrowing – The Financial Times
Kemi Badenoch: Just three months in, Labour has shown it has no inkling of how to support business
“There is a black hole in our economy. A hole where Labour’s growth strategy should be. This government came to power claiming growth was its central mission. But just three months in, ministers have shown they have no idea how the economy works, no inkling of how to support business, no chance of securing the investment we need. All Labour has is plans to drive out wealth creators, push up the costs of industry and send struggling small businesses to the wall. Britain deserves better. I know what drives growth. As an engineer, I know how to deliver projects. Working in financial services, I helped small firms grow. And as business secretary, I brought investment into the UK and supported our key industries to flourish globally.” – The Daily Telegraph
Mahmood pledges to cut women’s prison population by two thirds
“The number of women sent to jail will be radically reduced under plans set out by the justice secretary on Tuesday as she declared “prison isn’t working” for women. Shabana Mahmood said it was “high time we stopped sending so many women to prison” and that it was her “ultimate ambition” to close female jails. There are 3,453 women in prison out of a total population of 86,406. Of 117 prisons in England and Wales, 12 of them are women’s prisons. Mahmood signalled that she hoped as many as two thirds of women who are sent to prison each year could avoid being incarcerated, pointing to evidence that this is the proportion of female offenders sent to prison each year for non-violent crimes. This would be the equivalent of about 2,400 female prisoners…” – The Times
- Early interventions will help divert women away from the criminal justice system, she says – The Financial Times
Labour ‘split’ over ‘plans’ to change pub opening hours
“Plans to change pub opening hours have caused a rift in the Labour Party a day after they were proposed at the party conference… Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, vowed to “table an emergency resolution” to stop any motion that would see pubs close earlier. It came after Andrew Gwynne…suggested that “tightening up on some of the hours of operation” at pubs and bars should be considered as part of efforts to tackle alcohol abuse. On Tuesday, Mr McFadden ruled out any plans to change hours, hailing pubs as “a great part of the British tradition”. “We’ve got a day left of the conference, and if that’s on the agenda I’m going to table an emergency resolution myself in order to make sure it doesn’t happen,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.” – The Daily Telegraph
Raise tuition fees to ease pressure on English universities, says Mandelson
“Peter Mandelson has said that tuition fees paid by students in England must rise to stave off the “severe and worsening” financial pressures facing universities. Mandelson, a Labour peer and a candidate to be Oxford University’s next chancellor, said raising domestic undergraduate fees from £9,250 to £9,480 a year would provide stability before the government embarked on further reforms to higher education and student funding. Mandelson, writing in the Guardian, said: “England’s universities have reached an inflection point. Financial pressures are severe and worsening.” Mandelson argued for future tuition fees to rise alongside inflation, capped at a 2.5% annual increase. But Mandelson also suggested that universities needed more support to improve…” – The Guardian
News in Brief:
- Starmer has shown why the Tories will struggle against him – Patrick O’Flynn, The Spectator
- Starmer’s relaunch was cursed – Aris Roussinos, UnHerd
- What is Toryism for? – Editorial, The Critic
- Starmer’s Labour have embraced the politics of decline – Henry Hill, CapX
- The Middle East on the brink – Lawrence Freedman, The New Statesman
