Blitz Bureau
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled “a plan for change” as his Government seeks to regain public trust amid declining approval ratings. Delivering a speech in Buckinghamshire, the PM outlined six ‘milestones’ the Labour Government aims to achieve, including building 1.5 million homes, revitalising the National Health Service (NHS), and delivering clean energy by 2030.
Starmer said he wants to raise real household disposable income across every part of the United Kingdom by the next election due in 2029.Household disposable income, adjusted for inflation, rose on average by just 0.3 per cent per year between 2019 and 2024, marking the worst parliamentary term since records began in the 1950s, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies He emphasised the goal of achieving the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket.”
Safer streets
On public safety, he promised to make streets safer by deploying “more police on the beat” and tackling antisocial behaviour in every community. He also committed to improving early childhood education, aiming for a record 75 per cent of five-year-olds in England to be “ready to learn” when starting school.
He repeated the party’s promise to hire an extra 13,000 police officers and community support officers. More than half of the public do not trust the police to solve crimes, and over a third said they have no faith in the police to maintain law and order, a poll by YouGov earlier this year found. Starmer announced plans to cut waiting lists in the state-run National Health Service.The PM said he wanted 92 per cent of patients who needed routine operations to be seen within 18 weeks.
Building homes
He reiterated a previous target to build 1.5 million more homes over the next five years and fast track planning decisions on 150 infrastructure projects. He announced a target to decarbonise the economy by being on track for at least 95 per cent clean power by 2030. The decarbonisation target, which will mean moving away from fossil fuels and a rapid increase in wind and solar power, is part of Britain’s efforts to reach its wider climate goals.
Acknowledging the challenges ahead, Starmer described the Government’s task as an “almighty challenge” to meet these milestones before the next election, Xinhua news agency reported. “We’re starting from ground zero,” he said, referring to the hurdles inherited from previous administrations.
