General election 2024: Starmer to promise to ‘close the door’ on Putin – as Sunak prepares to put forward plan to cut immigration
Sir Keir Starmer will promise to “close the door” on Vladimir Putin with his homegrown energy plan – while Rishi Sunak will propose an annual visa cap to try to reduce immigration as election campaigning continues today.
The prime minister will look to win over voters after what was perhaps his toughest day of the campaign so far on Monday – with some Conservatives fearing Nigel Farage’s decision to lead the Reform party could split the Tory vote.
Mr Farage is also standing to be an MP in Clacton and will launch his campaign in the Essex constituency today.
A difficult day was made worse for Mr Sunak when a YouGov poll suggested Labour could be on course to win a historic landslide – with the party projected to win a 194-seat majority.
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On day 14 of the campaign, Labour leader Sir Keir will claim his party’s plan to set up a publicly owned clean energy company, GB Energy, will help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He will say: “With Great British Energy, my changed Labour Party will close the door on Putin.
“Energy policy is now a matter of national security. It is a key component of our country’s resilience and capacity to weather future shocks.
“We simply cannot afford to remain as vulnerable to price spikes as we have been in the past.
“Keeping the lights on and heating our homes should not mean leaving our front door open to Russia.”
Labour has said GB Energy will be headquartered in Scotland and funded through a windfall tax on big oil and gas firms, with an initial £8.3bn capitalisation over the course of a parliament.
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Meanwhile, the Conservatives will propose an annual cap on worker and family visas in their efforts to ensure immigration figures fall year on year if they are still in government after the election.
More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel and immigration has become a key campaign battleground.
The proposed plan would give parliament a direct role in setting levels of migration, with MPs having a vote on the number.
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Mr Sunak will say: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.
“Labour’s migrant amnesty will make the UK a global magnet for illegal immigrants and they have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.
“The Conservatives are the only party that is willing take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures.”
The annual cap would be imposed on the number of visas that can be granted to those coming to the UK on work or family routes.
Temporary work routes, such as seasonal agricultural workers, would not fall within the cap.
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Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are promising action on an issue described as “deeply personal” for party leader Sir Ed Davey, as they say day-to-day care for adults in need, including the elderly and disabled, would be free.
Provision of care should be based on need rather than ability to pay, the party said, as it promised what it described as free personal care for people either at home or in care homes.
This would cover nursing care, help with mobility, hygiene and medication, it said, adding that people in residential care would still have to contribute towards their accommodation.
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Sir Ed said: “As a carer for my disabled son, and after caring for my ill mother when I was young, care is deeply personal for me.
“That is why I am putting fixing the care crisis at the heart of the Liberal Democrat offer to the country at this election.”
The party said its plan for England – based on the model introduced by the Lib Dems in government in Scotland in 2002 – would cost £2.7bn a year by 2028-29 and would be “fully funded” by reversing tax cuts for the big banks since 2016.
More victims of the infected blood scandal will qualify for compensation while others will get higher awards under changes to the scheme.
The new rules mean estates of affected people who have already died will be able to claim payments.
As well as this, around 1,000 people who are already eligible will be able to claim a higher amount, including chronic Hepatitis C individuals.
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The reforms are being introduced following 16 recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry, which published an additional report earlier this month.
Confirming the changes, minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds said the government has “concentrated on removing barriers to quicker compensation”.
He added: “Our focus as we move forward must be working together to not only deliver justice to all those impacted, but also to restore trust in the state to people who have been let down too many times.”
Between the 1970s and early 1990s, more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C while receiving NHS care.
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Infected blood scandal explained
Some 3,000 people have died after they were given contaminated blood and blood products, while survivors live with lifelong implications.
In last October’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £11.8bn to compensate victims of the infected blood scandal, with the scheme opening at the end of last year.
The changes will ensure that those who endured treatments with adverse side effects, such as interferon, will receive higher compensation to what is currently provided.
Higher compensation will also be available for the impacts currently recognised by the Infected Blood Support Scheme ‘Special Category Mechanism’ (SCM), which is provided to chronic Hepatitis C individuals who have experienced a significant impact on their ability to carry out daily duties.
The government said the changes mean that over a thousand people will receive a higher amount than they would have under the existing scheme.
Scheme widened to estates of deceased affected people
The scheme will also be widened to some people who don’t currently qualify.
Under the current mechanism, if someone who was infected dies before receiving full compensation, then any final award can be passed on to their relatives through their estate.
However while compensation is also available to family members affected by the scandal – a partner, sibling or parent of someone who was infected, for example, this claim dies with them if they pass away.
The changes announced today mean that if the affected person has died after May 21st 2024, or dies in future before receiving compensation, their estate will be able to make a claim.
Memorial plans announced
The government also announced that Clive Smith, president of the Haemophilia Society, will be the chair of the new Infected Blood Memorial Committee.
The project will include plans for a UK memorial and support memorials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In line with the Infected Blood Inquiry’s recommendation, the committee will also develop plans for commemorative events and is planning to hold the first by the end of 2025.
Mr Smith said the memorial is “long overdue”.
He added: “It is a great privilege to be asked to lead this important work on behalf of the community.
“I am conscious that we are already behind in relation to implementing the Infected Blood Inquiry’s recommendation that community events be held on a six-month basis post the Inquiry reporting. We intend to correct that by the end of this year.
“I look forward to working with the whole community across the UK on building an appropriate memorial to those we have lost and to act as a lasting memorial to the nation of what can happen when patient safety is not prioritised.”
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