‘Huge difference’ between Labour and Tories, Starmer declares as he rejects ‘cautious’ criticism
Sir Keir Starmer has rejected claims he is being too cautious and timid in his offer to the public – and insisted there is a “huge difference” between Labour and the Conservatives.
Setting out his stall at the start of a year that is likely to see voters go to the polls, the Labour leader said the “clock is ticking” on the Tories’ time in power and his party is “ready” for a general election whenever it comes.
Politics latest: Sir Keir Starmer makes direct appeal to voters in major speech
In a new year’s speech, he set out his vision for change in politics to disillusioned and disaffected voters.
He told them “things can be better” and promised them a “politics that serves you” – and the chance to “turn the page” on the Tory government.
Sir Keir said “the moment power is taken out of Tory hands and given, not to me, but to you, that moment is getting closer by the second”.
“We don’t just expect an election on the economy,” he said. “We want an election on the economy and we’re ready for that fight.”
On the prospect of tax cuts, Sir Keir said he wanted people to “have more money in their pocket”. But he stressed his priority before that will be getting the economy growing again.
His critics, including within the party, have warned Labour against being “too timid” and “limping into Number 10”.
Asked by Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby whether his pitch to vote Labour is simply to see the back of the Tories, Sir Keir said the “change that we are offering, the difference that we want to make, between 14 years of decline and a decade of national renewal, they are fundamentally different things”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Will Starmer turn voters off?
“Underpinning the decade of national renewal, these are not just words. I’ve set out over the last few months five national missions that we will seek to achieve over the period of the next Labour government,” he said.
“They are really ambitious,” he continued, adding there is a “huge, huge difference” between Labour and the Tories.
Asked whether he will be willing to take part in TV debates with Rishi Sunak when the general election is called, Sir Keir said reports he will “duck them” are “nonsense”.
“I’ve been saying bring it on for a very long time, I’m happy to debate anytime,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone can accuse me of ducking scrutiny and debate. As I’ve said many times – just bring it on.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Starmer quiet on tax cuts’
In his speech at a research centre near Bristol, Sir Keir urged voters to reject “pointless populist gestures” and pledged to crack down on cronyism as he sought to outline the dividing lines between Labour and the Conservatives.
He said: “I don’t see our job as going back to some kind of golden age, I don’t think that’s how working people look at things at all. Government in this country is too centralised and controlling, and, because of that, too disconnected from the communities it needs to serve.”
He accused the Tories of “denigrating the people who serve this country” and said there has been “a total lack of respect” for public sector workers.
Sir Keir promised to “clean up politics” of sleaze, adding: “No more VIP fast lanes, no more kickbacks for colleagues, no more revolving doors between government and the companies they regulate.
“I will restore standards in public life with a total crackdown on cronyism: this ends now.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘May election the worst kept secret in Parliament’
He pointed to his legal career as a record of his anti-sleaze zeal, claiming he helped send both Labour and Tory “expense cheat politicians” to jail in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal, while serving as the director of public prosecutions.
Sir Keir also set out to highlight the differences between the Labour Party under his leadership – and that of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
He said it was longer “a party of protest” but a “renewed” Labour with a distinctive target – to “defeat this miserabilist Tory project” and “crush their politics of divide and decline” with a new “Project Hope”.
The Labour leader used the word “hope” 18 times during his speech.
“This isn’t a game. Politics shouldn’t be a hobby or a pastime for people who enjoy the feeling of power. Nor should it be a sermon from on high, a self-regarding lecture, vanity dressed up as virtue,” he said.
“It should be a higher calling, the power of the vote, the hope of change and renewal married to the responsibility of service. That’s what I believe in.”
Looking ahead to the pending election, which could see his party sweep to power, Sir Keir added: “Nobody will be above the law in a Britain I lead.
“But with respect and service, I also promise this: a politics that treads a little lighter on all of our lives.”
A US federal judge has agreed to pause a lawsuit filed by 18 state attorneys general and the crypto lobby group DeFi Education Fund against the Securities and Exchange Commission after all parties said new SEC leadership could make the action moot.
Kentucky District Court Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ordered a 60-day stay on the case on April 16, noting a mid-March filing from the SEC that “this case could potentially be resolved” due to a leadership transition at the regulator.
He added that the parties must file a joint status report within 30 days.
Paul Atkins, a Wall Street adviser who has held board positions with crypto advocacy groups, was sworn in as the new SEC chair earlier this month, replacing acting chair Mark Uyeda and taking over from Gary Gensler.
The 18 attorneys general, all hailing from Republican states, filed the lawsuit with the DeFi Education Fund against the securities regulator in November, alleging that the SEC exceeded its authority when targeting crypto exchanges with lawsuits, accusing the regulator and then-chair Gensler of “gross government overreach.”
The plaintiffs included attorneys general from Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, Montana, Indiana, Oklahoma and Florida, among others.
“Without Congressional authorization, the SEC has sought to unilaterally wrest regulatory authority away from the States through an ongoing series of enforcement actions,” the lawsuit stated.
DeFi groups drop case against IRS over killed broker rule
Meanwhile, the DeFi Education Fund, Blockchain Association, and Texas Blockchain Council dropped their lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service on April 16.
“The parties hereby stipulate to voluntary dismissal of this action without prejudice because the case has become moot,” stated the filing.
The lawsuit, filed in December, argued that the so-called IRS DeFi broker rule went beyond the agency’s authority and was unconstitutional.
Related: NY attorney general urges Congress to keep pensions crypto-free — ‘No intrinsic value’
On April 11, President Donald Trump signed a bill to revoke the rule that would have required DeFi protocols to report transactions to the IRS.
It comes as the SEC has paused or dropped several high-profile lawsuits against crypto companies this year under its new leadership.
Magazine: Illegal arcade disguised as … a fake Bitcoin mine? Soldier scams in China: Asia Express
Panama’s capital city will accept cryptocurrency payments for taxes and municipal fees, including bus tickets and permits, Panama City mayor Mayer Mizrachi announced on April 15, joining a growing list of jurisdictions globally that have voted to accept such payments.
Panama City will begin accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Circle’s USDC (USDC), and Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin for payment once the crypto-to-fiat payment rails are established, Mizrachi posted on the X platform.
Mizrachi said previous administrations attempted to push through similar legislation but failed to overcome stipulations requiring the local government to accept funds denominated in US dollars.
In a translated statement, the Panama City mayor said that the local government partnered with a bank that will immediately convert any digital assets received into US dollars, allowing the municipality to accept crypto without introducing new legislation.
Panama City joins a growing list of global jurisdictions on the municipal and state level accepting cryptocurrency payments for taxes, exploring Bitcoin strategic reserves to protect public treasuries from inflation and passing pro-crypto policies to attract investment.
Related: New York bill proposes legalizing Bitcoin, crypto for state payments
Municipalities and states embrace digital assets
Several municipalities and territories around the globe already accept crypto for tax payments or are exploring various implementations of blockchain technology for government spending.
The US state of Colorado started accepting crypto payments for taxes in September 2022. Much like Panama City said it will do, Colorado immediately converts the crypto to fiat.
In December 2023, the city of Lugano, Switzerland, announced taxes and city fees could be paid in Bitcoin, which was one of the developments that earned it the reputation of being a globally recognized Bitcoin city.
The city council of Vancouver, Canada, passed a motion to become “Bitcoin-friendly city” in December 2024. As part of that motion, the Vancouver local government will explore integrating BTC into the financial system, including tax payments.
North Carolina lawmaker Neal Jackson introduced legislation titled “The North Carolina Digital Asset Freedom Act” on April 10. If passed, the bill will recognize cryptocurrencies as an official form of payment that can be used to pay taxes.
Magazine: Crypto City: The ultimate guide to Miami
As digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea,” said US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
In an April 16 panel at the Economic Club of Chicago, Powell commented on the evolution of the cryptocurrency industry, which has delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal” following a difficult “wave of failures and frauds,” he said.
Powell delivers remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago. Source: Bloomberg Television
During crypto’s difficult years, which culminated in 2022 and 2023 with several high-profile business failures, the Fed “worked with Congress to try to get a […] legal framework for stablecoins, which would have been a nice place to start,” said Powell. “We were not successful.”
“I think that the climate is changing and you’re moving into more mainstreaming of that whole sector, so Congress is again looking […] at a legal framework for stablecoins,” he said.
“Depending on what’s in it, that’s a good idea. We need that. There isn’t one now,” said Powell.
This isn’t the first time Powell acknowledged the need for stablecoin legislation. In June 2023, the Fed boss told the House Financial Services Committee that stablecoins were “a form of money” that requires “robust” federal oversight.
Related: Stablecoins are the best way to ensure US dollar dominance — Web3 CEO
Support for stablecoin legislation is growing
The election of US President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of pro-crypto appointments and policy shifts that could make America a digital asset superpower.
Washington’s formal embrace of cryptocurrency began earlier this year when Trump established the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, with Bo Hines as the executive director.
Hines told a digital asset summit in New York last month that a comprehensive stablecoin bill was a top priority for the current administration. After the Senate Banking Committee passed the GENIUS Act, a final stablecoin bill could arrive at the president’s desk “in the next two months,” said Hines.
Bo Hines (right) speaks of “imminent” stablecoin legislation at the Digital Asset Summit on March 18. Source: Cointelegraph
Stablecoins pegged to the US dollar are by far the most popular tokens used for remittances and cryptocurrency trading.
The combined value of all stablecoins is currently $227 billion, according to RWA.xyz. The dollar-pegged USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) account for more than 88% of the total market.
Magazine: Unstablecoins: Depegging, bank runs and other risks loom
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway