Sir Keir Starmer to defend ‘short-term pain’ amid unease over new government’s gloomy outlook

Published

7 months ago

September 24, 2024

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Sir Keir Starmer will defend focusing on “short-term pain” for “long-term gain” as he reiterates the need for “tough decisions” during his keynote speech at the Labour Party conference.

Speaking in Liverpool on Tuesday, the prime minister will again point to the £22bn “black hole” in public finances he claims was left by the Conservatives, saying there are “no easy answers” to fixing it, and refusing to offer “false hope” to the public.

But he will promise to “build a Britain that belongs to you” and “once again serves the interests of working people”, adding Labour’s plan will ensure the country “gets there much more quickly”.

Sir Keir is also expected to pledge a cut in net migration by increasing training opportunities in the UK, rather than “importing labour” from abroad, and a crackdown on benefit fraud, as well as tackling long-term sickness “to get people back to work”.

And he will commit to introducing a “Hillsborough Law”, named after the 1989 football stadium tragedy which resulted in the deaths of 97 people, by its next anniversary, which would introduce a statutory duty of candour on public servants during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.

Having promised the legislation if Labour won power at its party conference two years ago, the prime minister will say it is “a law for Liverpool, a law for the 97, a law that people should never have needed to fight so hard to get – but that will be delivered by this Labour government”.

Ministers have come in for criticism in recent weeks for their gloomy approach to the state of the economy and public services, already warning there will be a “painful” budget at the end of October to balance the books.

But during its annual conference, being held in Liverpool this year, the government has sought to inject some optimism into its outlook, rejecting a return to “austerity” and claiming to have “real ambition” for the future of the UK.

Taking a similar approach, Sir Keir will tell the gathered politicians and activists during his first conference speech as prime minister: “The politics of national renewal are collective. They involve a shared struggle.

“A project that says, to everyone, this will be tough in the short-term, but in the long-term, it’s the right thing to do for our country. And we all benefit from that.”

Citing his missions for government, including raising living standards through higher economic growth, cutting waiting lists in the NHS, and making streets safer, he will say: “The truth is that if we take tough long-term decisions now, if we stick to the driving purpose behind everything we do… then that light at the end of this tunnel, that Britain that belongs to you, we get there much more quickly.”

But, Sir Keir will add: “It will be hard. That’s not rhetoric, it’s reality.

“It’s not just that financial black hole, the £22bn of unfunded spending commitments, concealed from our country by the Tories, it’s not just the societal black hole – our decimated public services leaving communities held together by little more than goodwill – it’s also the political black hole.

“Just because we all want low taxes and good public services, does not mean that the iron law of properly funding policies can be ignored.

“We have seen the damage that does, and I will not let that happen again. I will not let Tory economic recklessness hold back the working people of this country.”

However, Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller hit back, saying: “Labour have only been in office for 81 days, but so far they have already shown the only interests they are serving are their own.

“From picking the pockets of pensioners to fund their union paymasters’ pay-rises, to their litany of ex-Labour staffer appointments in the civil service, Starmer’s government are clearly putting themselves first, the Labour Party second, and the country last.

“Rather than seeking national renewal, Starmer’s political decisions risk running the country into the ground.”

Politics

Crush fly-tippers’ vans, government tells councils

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2025

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Crush fly-tippers' vans, government tells councils

The government wants councils to crush more vans used to fly-tip rubbish, as it announces a crackdown on the illegal dumping of waste.

No new funding is being given to local authorities for the initiatives, with ministers saying the seven percent raise announced in the budget can be used.

As part of the announcement, the government has also proposed that fly-tippers could face up to five years in prison, although this would require a change in the law.

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Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Councils will get much more aggressive against fly-tippers and that includes using the latest technology, things like the new mobile CCTV cameras and drones to identify, track and then seize the vehicles that are being used for fly-tipping to a yard like this and crush them.

“That’s both as a punishment for those people who are dumping the rubbish but also as a deterrent for those who are thinking about doing it.”

He added: “We’re also looking to change the law so that those rogue operators who take rubbish from someone’s home and then dump it on a nearby road – they were getting away almost scot-free under the previous government – they will now be looking at potentially five-year prison sentences.”

The minister claimed the fly-tipping was “out of control” under the last government.

Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) shows local authorities in England dealt with a record 1.15 million incidents last year – a 20% increase from 2018/19.

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said: “We’re determined to bring these criminals to justice through tough enforcement action and prosecutions.

“That’s why we support the government’s crackdown on waste criminals, which will ensure we have the right powers to shut rogue operators out of the waste industry.”

However, the Conservatives claimed that rubbish is “piling high” in areas like Birmingham as refuse workers strike against a pay and jobs offer from the Labour-run council.

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Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Wherever Labour is in charge, waste is piling high – like in Birmingham, where Labour’s inability to stand up to their union paymasters has left rat-infested rubbish littered across the street.

“And with statistics showing that of the 50 worst local areas for fly-tipping, 72% are Labour controlled, it is clear that voting Labour gets you rubbish and rats.

“So the British public deserve real action, not this series of reheated announcements and policies already introduced by previous governments that Labour is peddling.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Under the Conservatives’ watch, local communities have been plagued by a fly-tipping epidemic.

“From overflowing bins to piles of hazardous waste, fly-tipping is blighting our landscapes, poisoning livestock on farming land and causing misery for residents.

“Enough is enough.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a fly-tipping fighting fund, to push for stronger local enforcement and tougher penalties for offenders.”

Politics

US Senate majority leader expects stablecoin vote before May 26 — Report

Published

3 hours ago

April 29, 2025

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US Senate majority leader expects stablecoin vote before May 26 — Report

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly told Republican lawmakers that the chamber would address a bill on stablecoin regulation before the May 26 Memorial Day holiday.

According to an April 29 Politico report, Thune made the comments in a closed-door meeting with Republican senators, who hold a slim majority in the chamber. The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, was introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty in February and passed the Senate Banking Committee in March.

Thune did not mention any crypto or blockchain-related bills in his public comments on US President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has signed several executive orders with the potential to affect US crypto policy, including one affecting stablecoins. Still, many of the actions do not carry the force of law without an act of Congress.

The proposed GENIUS bill could essentially restrict any entity other than a “permitted payment stablecoin issuer” from issuing a payment stablecoin in the United States. The House of Representatives, also controlled by Republicans, has proposed a companion bill to the legislation: the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy, or STABLE Act.

Trump accused of conflicts of interest over stablecoins, crypto ventures

The president’s executive order, signed on Jan. 23, established a working group to study the potential creation and maintenance of a national crypto stockpile and a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Republican lawmakers followed by introducing the STABLE and GENIUS acts.

Trump also introduced the order before World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm backed by the president’s family, launched its US-dollar pegged USD1 stablecoin. Many Democratic lawmakers said that Trump’s ties to the firm, coupled with his political influence and position, could present an “extraordinary conflict of interest that could create unprecedented risks to our financial system” as Congress considers the two stablecoin bills.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

Politics

Indian high court orders steps to block Proton Mail

Published

5 hours ago

April 29, 2025

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Indian high court orders steps to block Proton Mail

A court in India has ordered the encrypted email service Proton Mail blocked in the country for refusing to share information with authorities.

In an April 29 hearing of the High Court of Karnataka, Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered the government to “block forthwith” domain names associated with Proton Mail, citing authority under the country’s Information Technology Act of 2008. The order stemmed from a complaint filed in January by a New Delhi-based design firm, alleging that some of its employees received offensive emails through the service.

It’s unclear whether the ban will take effect or face other possible challenges in court. The Proton team reported in March 2024 that Indian authorities had similarly proposed ordering the service blocked in response to alleged “hoax bomb threats,” but it continued to operate in the country.

The crackdown on Proton Mail appeared to be part of a larger global trend to pursue action against platforms based on users’ activities, such as the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France in part for allegedly failing to moderate illicit content. Cointelegraph reached out to Proton for comment but did not receive any response at the time of publication.

In Spain, Proton AG — the Swiss company behind the platform — provided information to the authorities about one of its users in 2024. The move had many privacy advocates questioning the security of their data with the centralized service.

Vying for market share in the world’s most populous country

Cryptocurrency exchanges are no stranger to legally sanctioned crackdowns attempting to curtail their activities in a country, or in some cases, face blocks or bans. US authorities imposed sanctions on crypto mixing services like Tornado Cash in 2022, facing swift backlash from the industry and legal challenges, while South Korea reportedly blocked 14 exchanges on the Apple store for allegedly operating without the proper registration.

In India, users face a 30% tax on profits from crypto trading, which has been in effect since April 2022. Though crypto firms operating in the country endure increasing regulatory oversight, India is estimated to have more than 100 million digital asset holders out of its roughly 1.4 billion people.

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