A senior frontbencher has said Sir Keir Starmer is “not presuming anything”, despite the fact that his speech today is expected to talk up the prospect of a “decade” in power.
Sir Keir is expected to set his sights on at least two terms in power as he vows to “heal” Britain after 13 years of Conservative Party in his address to Labour Party conference at 2pm.
But shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said this morning the Labour leader is not getting “carried away” with the prospect of the Labour Party winning the next general election.
McFadden, who also serves as the party’s national campaign coordinator, told BBC Breakfast: “He is not presuming anything. By using that phrase what he is doing is he is setting out realistically that after 13 years of the Conservatives it is going to take time to turn things around”.
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Asked if Sir Keir was getting “carried away”, he added: “By using the phrase [‘decade of national renewal’] he is assuming nothing. What he is doing is being honest with the people about the time it is going to take to face up to the challenges that the country faces right now.”
According to a report in the Guardian, Sir Keir is set to promise new powers to towns and cities in England to invest, deliver homes, and create jobs. Sir Keir will promise to “win the war against the hoarders in Westminster” and “put communities in control”.
According to The Times Sir Keir will promise “a big build” in a bid to release what are deemed low quality areas of greenbelt such as scrubland and car parks for development around cities.
He will specify that half of all homes must be built for affordable prices. Labour will also promise a string of new towns along the model of post-war developments.
Sir Keir will also say: “We should never forget that politics should tread lightly on peoples’ lives, that our job is to shoulder the burden for working people – carry the load, not add to it.”
The Labour is set to launch Labour’s “Community Policing Guarantee”, with a five-point plan to make Britain’s streets safer. This will involve getting “more police in your town, fighting anti-social behaviour” and “taking back our streets”.
The Labour leader is expected to tell delegates his government would guarantee town centre patrols through 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the streets.
Starmer’s speech comes after the former Bank of England (BoE) governor said on Monday that he endorsed Rachel Reeves and Starmer in a major coup for the opposition.
In a surprise video shown at the party’s conference after the shadow chancellor’s speech, Mark Carney praised her as a “serious economist” who “understands the big picture”.
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