PM to say Parliament return not âbusiness as usualâ
Sir Keir Starmer will say on Tuesday that âit will not be business as usualâ when Parliament returns next week.
In a speech from Downing Streetâs rose garden, the prime minister will say that âwe canât go on like this anymoreâ and that his government will do the âhard workâ to âroot out 14 years of rotâ under the previous Conservative administration.
He will also suggest that this summerâs riots showed âcracks in our societyâ but that the âcoming togetherâ of communities afterwards showed âwhat we stand forâ.
The Conservatives have described the speech as ânothing but performativeâ and an effort to âdistract the public from the promises Starmer made that he never had any intention of keepingâ.
Sir Keirâs address marks a week before Parliament returns from a shortened summer recess and is expected to ramp up attacks on the inheritance left by the Conservatives.
The speech will echo some of the language used by Labour during and after the general election campaign.
Sir Keir will say âthe business of politics will resume, but it will not be business as usualâ and the government will âget a gripâ on the problems faced in the UK.
The PM will warn that âthings will get worseâ in the UK before they get better as the Labour administration tries to deal with ânot just an economic black hole but a societal black holeâ.
He will say: âAnd that is why we have to take action and do things differently.
âPart of that is being honest with people â about the choices we face. And how tough this will be.
âFrankly â things will get worse before we get better.â
Sir Keirâs speech will also suggest that the UK riots earlier this month showed âthe cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failureâ.
âThe riots didnât just betray the sickness, they revealed the cure, found not in the cynical conflict of populism but in the coming together of a country the morning after and cleared up their community,â he will add.
Since coming to power in July, Labour has sought to emphasise the challenges it faces in government and blame Tory ministers for failing to address those problems prior to the election.
The PMâs speech on Tuesday will be in front of some 50 members of the public whom he met on the election campaign trail, including small business owners and public servants.
He will promise âno more politics of performanceâ and to do âthe hard work needed to root out 14 years of rot and reverse a decade of declineâ.
âWeâll fix the foundations, protecting taxpayersâ money and peopleâs living standards. Weâll reform our planning system to build the new homes we need,â Sir Keir will say.
âWeâll level up workersâ rights so people have security, dignity and respect. Weâll strengthen our border security. Weâll crack down on crime. Weâll transform public transport. And weâll give our children the opportunities they need to succeed.â
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to raise some taxes in her budget on 30 October after accusing the Tories of leaving a ÂŁ22 billion shortfall in the public finances.
Labour has already been criticised for a move to start means-testing pensionersâ winter fuel allowance, restricting payments to only those who receive pension credits or other means-tested benefits.
Reacting to details of the PMâs speech, Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller said: âThis is nothing but a performative speech to distract the public from the promises Starmer made that he never had any intention of keeping.
âIn fewer than 100 days, the Labour Party has dumped its ambition of public service and become engulfed in sleaze, handed out bumper payouts to its union paymasters with âno stringsâ attached and laid the groundwork to harm pensioners and tax working people.â