Keir Starmer tells LBC on eve of anniversary in power to 'focus on what matters most: changing lives' in advice to self
Sir Keir Starmer has told LBC he'd tell his former self to focus on his mission to "change the lives of working people for the better".
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As he approaches the anniversary of his first year in government, he got laughs from the crowd as he said there were "many things" he'd want to tell himself, looking back.
After a bumpy year featuring a string of u-turns, rows over freebies, and a rebellion over welfare, the Prime Minister insisted that he would always advise himself to "remember the people whose lives are going to be changed by what you're doing".
Last week the Prime Minister admitted that there were things he would have done differently, and that his team had not handled the welfare rebellion as well as they could have done.
Speaking at the launch of the NHS 10 year plan in East London this morning, he said he would always remind himself to "focus on what matters most".
He went on: "When I say what matters is who you have in your mind's eye, I really mean it.
Read more: ‘Clearly I was upset’: Rachel Reeves breaks silence after breaking down in tears during PMQs
"It's very easy to think that this particular issue is of paramount importance or that particular issue, and they often are important in their own right.
But I came into politics relatively late in life. I'd done other things beforehand, and I came in for one simple reason, that I wanted to change the lives of working people for the better.
"And I don't believe in anything else."
He added: "I don't believe in performative politics. I don't think rhetorical speeches without the action to back them up are worth doing or making. It's the change that you bring about.
"And so my advice is the same advice I've always given myself. Be really clear what you're trying to achieve, keep that focus, don't ever be knocked off course.
"But most importantly, remember the people whose lives are going to be changed by what you're doing."
Sir Keir also used the press conference to give his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, his full backing, after she cried in the House of Commons during PMQs yesterday.
The Prime Minister has since repeatedly expressed his support for her, confirming she will not lose her job any time soon.
He said: "She is an excellent Chancellor, she will be Chancellor for a very long time to come, into the next election and beyond it.
"She and I are absolutely committed to our fiscal rules and the economic stability that is so important to this country, and that is the rock on which we build everything else.
"On that issue, Rachel and I are in lockstep, and have been for years."
The Chancellor was seen beaming as she attended the launch of the Government's 10-year plan for the NHS in London, alongside the PM and Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.
She was repeatedly asked to comment on her tearful appearance in the Commons, but stayed silent as the PM's answered questions from journalists. Her own speech also didn't mention yesterday's events.
But Starmer heaped more praise on the Chancellor while unveiling his vision for the NHS, saying her decisions played a part in the Government investing "record amounts in the NHS".
He said: "It's all down to the foundation we laid this year, all down to the path of renewal that we chose, the decisions made by the Chancellor, by Rachel Reeves, which mean we can invest record amounts in the NHS.
"Already over 6,000 mental health workers recruited, 1,700 new GPs, 170 community diagnostic centres - really important - already open.
"New surgical hubs, new mental health units, new ambulance sites. Record investment right across the system."
In an exclusive opinion piece for LBC, the Prime Minister said it is his “personal” mission to save the NHS - noting that his mother, sister, and wife all worked in the service.
Almost a year on from the general election, Sir Keir Starmer vowed the government is “going to get it back on its feet and fit for the future.”
"It was created by a Labour government, and it will be saved by this Labour government."