Sir Keir Starmer promises to ‘fix unprecedented stagnation’ as Labour targets business voters
Sir Keir Starmer will promise to “fix unprecedented stagnation” in the growth of productivity in the UK, as he unveils Labour’s “plan for business”.
The party leader and his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will host hundreds of business leaders and investors at a central London event on Thursday, as the pair seek to win over the corporate community ahead of the next election.
Sir Keir will claim the attendance of so many c-level executives at the gathering shows the “depth of the changes we’ve made to transform the Labour Party’s relationship with business”, saying it was something he took “immense pride in”.
And he will attack the Conservatives for their record in power over the past 14 years.
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The Labour leader is expected to say: “It’s not just the permanent cycle of crisis, there is something much more fundamentally broken in the way this country creates wealth.
“Fifteen years of lost wage growth and an economy with weak foundations that, even in the calmer moments, can’t provide the security working people need to look forward doesn’t just hold back our potential but also rips up the contract and values that keep a country together.
“It undermines the sense that if you work hard and play by the rules, you will have a chance in Britain and the future will be better for your children.”
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Sophy Ridge explains how the last Labour Party conference was packed with businesses
Sir Keir will promise to “deliver growth and prosperity across every corner of the nation” with Labour’s five-point plan for business if the party gets into power at the next election.
Although little detail has been provided yet, the headlines of each step have been outlined, namely:
• “To get Britain building again after 14 years of stagnation”;
• “Plans for skills to drive growth”;
• “The need to partner with business to make work pay for working people”;
• “Backing British business”;
• “Creating the stable economic conditions required for delivering growth”.
The party said this “growth mission” will line up with Labour’s existing pledge to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7.
Sir Keir will tell business leaders: “Today we launch this new plan, this new purpose, this new partnership with five priorities to unite behind.
“Five steps we can take together to begin our walk towards a Britain with its future back.”
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A former Conservative MP has said he felt “enormous guilt” when he found out he was the victim of a Westminster honeytrap scandal.
William Wragg resigned from the parliamentary party in April after he admitted giving out fellow politicians’ phone numbers to the suspected perpetrator of the sexting scam.
He said he felt threatened and pressured by the “catfish” after exchanging explicit photos with them.
Mr Wragg divulged the numbers to what he thought was a real person on a dating app, amid fears that the intimate images of himself would be leaked.
The former Tory party whip said he first saw news articles about the scandal when he was on a train.
The 36-year-old told the BBC: “My stomach just dropped.
“When I found out some of the things that had been going on, I just felt enormous guilt, enormous remorse.”
After the former Hazel Grove MP handed over the personal information, the catfish told Mr Wragg to vouch for their identity with their next potential victims, with the catfish telling their fresh targets they were a former researcher for Mr Wragg.
Mr Wragg agreed and this is what he feels “the most regret for” as it was “deceitful”.
Pic: PA
Panic attacks
After he was allegedly blackmailed, Mr Wragg started having panic attacks, with instances of yelling, crying, and swearing shocking his sleeping flatmates.
Police are investigating the scandal with at least 12 men with links to Westminster believed to have received unsolicited messages from the aliases “Charlie” and “Abi”.
The fake accounts were allegedly part of the scam to get MPs and other people in politics to send explicit images and other private or sensitive information.
Unlike others who were approached by the catfish accounts, Mr Wragg approached “Charlie” himself after spotting the profile on gay dating app Grindr.
And he thought the account was a real person before exchanging explicit photos with the catfish.
Suicidal thoughts
When the scandal broke, the humiliation and shame became too much for Mr Wragg.
He recounted photographers and the media camped outside his parents’ house, which is where he went to as he began to have suicidal thoughts.
Shortly after receiving medical attention, he returned to Westminster to resign as Conservative whip and from his posts on two parliamentary committees.
He had already announced he would not run in the next general election.
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Man detained
In June, a member of the Labour Party aged in his mid-20s was apprehended in Islington, north London, on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act.
He has since been released on bail.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
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