PM to say Parliament return not ābusiness as usualā
Sir Keir Starmer will say on Tuesday that āit will not be business as usualā when Parliament returns next week.
In a speech from Downing Streetās rose garden, the prime minister will say that āwe canāt go on like this anymoreā and that his government will do the āhard workā to āroot out 14 years of rotā under the previous Conservative administration.
He will also suggest that this summerās riots showed ācracks in our societyā but that the ācoming togetherā of communities afterwards showed āwhat we stand forā.
The Conservatives have described the speech as ānothing but performativeā and an effort to ādistract the public from the promises Starmer made that he never had any intention of keepingā.
Sir Keirās 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 āthe business of politics will resume, but it will not be business as usualā and the government will āget a gripā on the problems faced in the UK.
The PM will warn that āthings will get worseā in the UK before they get better as the Labour administration tries to deal with ānot just an economic black hole but a societal black holeā.
He will say: āAnd that is why we have to take action and do things differently.
āPart of that is being honest with people ā about the choices we face. And how tough this will be.
āFrankly ā things will get worse before we get better.ā
Sir Keirās speech will also suggest that the UK riots earlier this month showed āthe cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failureā.
āThe riots didnāt 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,ā 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 PMās 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 āno more politics of performanceā and to do āthe hard work needed to root out 14 years of rot and reverse a decade of declineā.
āWeāll fix the foundations, protecting taxpayersā money and peopleās living standards. Weāll reform our planning system to build the new homes we need,ā Sir Keir will say.
āWeāll level up workersā rights so people have security, dignity and respect. Weāll strengthen our border security. Weāll crack down on crime. Weāll transform public transport. And weāll give our children the opportunities they need to succeed.ā
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to raise some taxes in her budget on 30 October after accusing the Tories of leaving a Ā£22 billion shortfall in the public finances.
Labour has already been criticised for a move to start means-testing pensionersā winter fuel allowance, restricting payments to only those who receive pension credits or other means-tested benefits.
Reacting to details of the PMās speech, Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller said: āThis is nothing but a performative speech to distract the public from the promises Starmer made that he never had any intention of keeping.
āIn 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 āno stringsā attached and laid the groundwork to harm pensioners and tax working people.ā