Sir Keir Starmer to defend ‘short-term pain’ amid unease over new government’s gloomy outlook
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”.
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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.”
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Chancellor: ‘No return to austerity’
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.”
Police have appealed for information after a man was charged with murdering two women and raping a third.
Simon Levy has been charged with murdering 53-year-old Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo who died on the Aylesbury Estate, south-east London, on 17 March, the Metropolitan Police said.
In September, Levy, of Beaufoy Road, Tottenham, north London, was charged with murdering 39-year-old Sheryl Wilkins who was found unresponsive in High Road, Tottenham, on 24 August.
He is also accused of grievous bodily harm with intent, non-fatal strangulation and two counts of rape against a third woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Haringey, north London, on 21 January, police said.
The 40-year-old will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with Ms Valencia-Trujillo’s murder.
Sheryl Wilkins was found unresponsive in High Road, Tottenham, on 24 August. Pic: Metropolitan Police
He is also due to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a plea and trial preparation hearing for the murder of Ms Wilkins.
Detectives believe there may be individuals who have information relevant to this investigation – or who are yet to report incidents which have directly impacted them – and are asking for people to come forward.
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UK
Family of woman killed 56 years ago, in a case of mistaken identity, believe her remains are buried in a garden
A new “national day” to honour victims and survivors of terrorism will be added to the calendar from next year, it has been revealed.
The annual commemoration will fall on 21 August, and will be marked in a different place each year to recognise the widespread impact of terrorism around the country.
It comes after a 12-week public consultation showed 91% supported the plan for a national day, and 84% strongly supported the proposal.
Flowers left in St Ann’s Square, Manchester, to remember the Manchester Arena terror attack. Pic: PA
How the day will look, including a final name and symbol, will be worked out collaboratively between survivors and ministers, according to the Home Office.
But it will “honour and remember victims and survivors of terrorism”, encouraging survivors to access specialist support, spotlighting their stories, and educating the public.
A spokesperson for the Home Office confirmed that it would not be a bank holiday.
Jo Berry, whose father Sir Anthony Berry was killed in the IRA Brighton hotel bombing in 1984, said victims of terrorism would no longer be “a footnote of history”.
Jo Berry, whose father was killed in the Brighton bombing in 1984, with convicted bomber Patrick Magee in 2004. File pic: PA
She said: “What we remember as a nation matters. It sends a signal about what we value.
“For too long, survivors of terror attacks, and those who have been killed in them, have been a footnote of history. Survivors have felt ignored and forgotten.
“That’s why Survivors Against Terror launched a campaign for a new national day of memorial three years ago.”
Read more:
Referrals to UK counter-terrorism programme reach new high
I was reporting in London during 7/7 – here’s what happened
Travis Frain, who survived the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, also backed the campaign.
He said: “A national day would provide an opportunity to remember those we have lost, to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of those who have survived these heinous acts, and for us to look forward to the future to educate the next generation.”
The date was chosen to coincide with the UN International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
Plans have also been announced for a new support hub to help victims in the aftermath of terror attacks.
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