By Ben Kerrigan-
In his first major speech of the 2024 General Election campaign, Labour leader Keir Starmer framed the upcoming vote as a critical decision on “whose side are you on,” vowing to champion working people and restore trust in British politics.
Speaking in the Conservative stronghold of Lancing, West Sussex, Starmer highlighted the consequences of 14 years of
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Conservative governance, which he described as leading to a “crisis” in the nation’s culture and economic stability.
“Elections are about more than individual changes and policies,” Starmer asserted. “They are about values, temperament, character, and a bigger question: whose side are you on?”
He emphasized that his life’s work and changes within the Labour Party have been driven by the goal of serving the working people of Britain.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Despite Labour’s strong lead in opinion polls, Starmer acknowledged that many voters remain uncertain.
“I know there are countless people who haven’t decided how they’ll vote in this election. They’re fed up with the failure, chaos, and division of the Tories, but they still have questions about us: has Labour changed enough? Do I trust them with my money, our borders, our security? My answer is yes, you can, because I have changed this party, permanently.”
Starmer’s speech also included a pointed critique of the Conservative government’s record. “For a long time now, working people have believed opportunity in Britain is stacked against them.
But now we are at a dangerous new point, close to crossing a Rubicon of trust, not just in politics but in many of the institutions that are meant to serve and protect the British people.”
He criticized the Conservatives for leaving living standards worse than they found them, eroding standards in public life, and failing to respect the rules and institutions designed to safeguard the public. “When you put that alongside a Government that over 14 years has torched any semblance of standards in public life, you get a crisis in nothing less than who we are as a nation,” he said.
Starmer dismissed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan for a new form of compulsory national service as a “teenage Dad’s Army.” He argued that the policy would be funded by cutting levelling-up initiatives and tackling tax avoidance, resources that Labour would use to invest in the NHS instead. “All elections are a choice and this is a clear one: levelling-up and the NHS with Labour or more desperate chaos with the Tories,” he declared.
Sunak quickly responded to Starmer’s speech, criticizing it for lacking substance. “Our country needs bold action, not waffle,” he tweeted.
Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden echoed this sentiment, describing Starmer’s speech as “wearisome and rambling” with “no policy, no substance, and no plan.”
However, Sunak’s national service proposal continued to face scrutiny.
Foreign Office Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan did not rule out potential legal consequences for parents if their adult children refused to participate in the scheme, likening it to the legal requirement for children up to 18 to be in education or training.
Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker expressed unease over the policy, suggesting it had been hastily introduced without proper consultation. “Government policy would have been developed by ministers on the advice of officials and collectively agreed.
But this proposal was developed by a political adviser or advisers and sprung on candidates,” Baker said on social media, emphasizing that “liberty under law – not compulsion and planning – is the surest road to peace and prosperity.”
Message ChatGPT
ChatGPT can make
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar