Starmer's six pledges: PM unveils government's 'plan for change' including extra police and 1.5 million new homes

5 December 2024, 12:01 | Updated: 5 December 2024, 15:00

Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled Labour's "plan for change" as the PM vowed to increase police numbers and "get building" as part of six new key pledges.

"Country first, party second," Starmer vowed as he unveiled Labour's six point policy to reform Britain on Thursday.

The Prime Minister set out six “milestone” targets, including to raise living standards, cut NHS waiting lists, recruit extra police and build 1.5 million new homes.

Speaking from Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the PM likened himself to a future James Bond as he began his speech as part of an attempted party reset.

He unveiled 150 major infrastructure projects as part of the speech, in a bid to triple the number of decisions on infrastructure compared to the previous Conservative government.

But opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said Starmer's relaunch "can't hide the reality of a government that doesn’t know what it is doing."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the reset offers "no change" and "guarantees economic failure".

Starmer's six pledges include:

• Raising living standards - the government is set to target the highest sustained growth in the G7
• Rebuild Britain - plans to build 1.5 million homes
• Ensure safer streets - increase police numbers and "stamp out anti-social behaviour in every community"
• Give children the best start in life - "record proportion of five-year-olds starting school ready to learn"
• Clean power by 2030 - "never again" will the UK rely on "tyrants like Putin"
• New NHS targets - ensure 18-week target from referral to treatment "finally met".

The PM said the government faces an "almighty challenge" to hit these milestones by the end of this parliament.

Starmer branded Britain "broken but not beyond repair" as he spoke of the need for a "mission-led government".

"This is our plan - it begins, as we set out in our manifesto, strong foundations," Starmer said.

Asked by LBC whether the six pledges marked a "watering down" of his pledges, the PM pushed back, saying "these are something for the public to use" in order to measure the government's milestones.

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"As i've said, fixing the foundations is like finding damp in your wall," the Prime Minister said, as he spoke about "dealing with the problem once and for all".

Speaking to those the PM referred to as "bureaucrats", Starmer vowed to cut red tape, adding: "You no longer have the upper hand, Britain says 'yes'".

"I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with it," said Starmer

The prime minister labelled it the most "ambitious and credible programme of change for a generation".

Sir Keir Starmer said: "We embrace the risk that comes with it.

"If there was no jeopardy, if there was no resistance, no blockages or impediments for us to remove, then as sure as night follows day that would be a sign that we're not serious about delivering change."

Asked whether his pledges were too similar to those of his predecessor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer said: "On the ambition here, the 1.5 million homes, if we do that it's to do something that hasn't been done for decades.

"That's really bold - not lacking ambition.

"It won't happen, by the way, if we don't make the change that we've spelt out. That's how hard it is."

Badenoch hit out at Starmer for ommitting specific immigration targets.

She said the speech contained "nothing concrete on immigration", showing that Labour "have no plan to control numbers".

But Starmer spoke on the subject of immigration, when it was pointed out this metric was not included in the key milestones.

"These are foundational things a government must do, and they are based on security," he said taking questions from journalists.

"So national security is obvious, but border security is equally obvious in my view.

"We are committed to bringing down immigration, both legal and illegal. 

"We must stop people crossing in boats across the channel. And we have to get to grips with the volume of regular migration we have in this country."