‘Country first, party second’: Sir Keir Starmer puts security front and centre in first major campaign speech

27 May 2024, 10:57 | Updated: 27 May 2024, 11:21

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Sir Keir Starmer has put security front and centre of his first major campaign speech, insisting he would put ‘country first, party second’ if elected as Prime Minister.

Speaking in West Sussex, near where the Labour leader grew up, Sir Keir said: “We are at a dangerous new point, close to crossing a rubicon on trust.”

“Not just in politics,” continued, “but in so many of the institutions that are meant to serve and protect the British people.”

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'Britain will secure our borders'

Read More: LIVE: Starmer's major campaign speech gets under way as Labour pledges 100-day security review

In his speech, Sir Keir reiterated what his party's first steps would be for government, starting with "economic stability".

The second step, Sir Keir said, is to cut NHS waiting times with 4,000 extra appointments every week. The Labour leader said this would be paid for by "cracking down on tax avoidance and non-doms".

Labour's third step in government would be to create a "new border security command", as he seeks to provide an alternative to the government's Rwanda scheme.

Read More: Michael Gove not standing for re-election is 'very significant', says Starmer

"Britain will secure our borders," Sir Keir said.

The fourth step, Sir Keir said, would be setting up Great British Energy, a publicly-owned energy company, which he said would "make money for the taxpayer".

He also said it would give Britain energy independence at a dangerous time in the world when Russia's war in Ukraine continues to cause energy prices to soar across the globe.

Putting the emphasis back on security, Sir Keir said his fifth step as prime minister would be to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

The sixth and final step would be to introduce 6,500 new teachers in the classroom.

In his speech this morning, Sir Keir said: "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.

"A moment where people no longer believe their values or interests carry the respect of those in power.

"When you put that alongside a Government that over 14 years has left living standards in this country worse than when they found them, that has torched any semblance of standards in public life, Westminster parties that broke the rules they put in place to save lives and rules they expected you to follow but ignored themselves, then you get a crisis in nothing less than who we are as a nation."