The centre-left politician, who seeks to become British prime minister in three weeks, said on Thursday he would lead a government that was “pro-business and pro-worker” and would restore stability after years of economic and political turmoil.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said that if elected on July 4, he would end a “desperate era of gestures and subterfuge” under the shaky Conservative government.
Launching Labour’s election manifesto in Manchester, in northwest England, Starmer said a Labour government would “stop the chaos, turn a new page and start rebuilding our country”.
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Next month, British voters will elect members to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons, and the leader of the party that wins a majority, either alone or in a coalition, will become prime minister. Opinion polls currently show Labour holding a double-digit lead over Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ruling Conservative Party, which has been in power for 14 years under five prime ministers.
The Conservative Party has sacked two prime ministers in quick succession without calling an election in 2022 – first Boris Johnson, who was brought down by scandal, and then Liz Truss, who lasted just seven weeks in office after destabilising the economy with bold tax cut plans.
Mr Starmer, a former chief prosecutor widely seen as competent but slow, is trying to turn his stuffy image into an advantage. His core message is that he has transformed Labour from the era of high tax and big spending under former leader Jeremy Corbyn into a stable centre-right party.
Mr Starmer described his policies as a “manifesto for wealth creation” and acknowledged a Labour government would face “difficult choices” on public spending.
“We can’t play around with finances,” he said. He rejected the idea that “the only way is to tax and spend” to grow the economy after years of sluggish growth.
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives on his campaign bus at a campaign event in Halesowen County, West Midlands, England, Thursday, June 13, 2024, after launching the party’s manifesto in Manchester ahead of the general election scheduled for July 4. (Stephane Rousseau/PA via The Associated Press)
Starmer’s cautious economic policy has disappointed some in his party who want bolder reforms, but he also has the support of many business leaders.
Starmer called his party’s platform a “wealth creation” manifesto and its ambitious goals are largely long-term, including establishing a new industrial policy, setting out a 10-year infrastructure strategy and building 1.5 million new homes.
Labour has promised to improve Britain’s ties with its former partners in the European Union, but has ruled out a return to the EU’s frictionless single market and customs union.
The plan’s spending pledges were modest: The manifesto projects taxes will rise by 7.4 billion pounds ($9.25 billion) by 2028-29 through measures such as closing loopholes related to the recent repeal of “non-resident” tax status that allowed some wealthy people to avoid paying U.K. taxes. The party also plans to extend a temporary tax on energy companies.
Starmer said personal income tax would not rise under a Labour government, but that did not stop the Conservatives from labelling Labour as the party of high tax.
“If you think they will win, start saving,” Sunak wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Speaking at the headquarters of the Co-op, the Manchester-based retail and services giant, Starmer introduced several voters, including a father who lives in a studio apartment with his family of four, and Nathaniel Dye, who has terminal cancer and is campaigning for faster treatment.
The only unexpected moment was when a protester called for tougher climate change policies from Labour, but he was quickly removed.
Sunak published a manifesto on Tuesday outlining the Conservative party’s key pledges, pledging to cut taxes and immigration if the party is re-elected.
Labour’s 131-page manifesto contained previously announced plans and few last-minute gimmicks to garner voter support.
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“This is not pulling a rabbit out of a hat, this is not pantomime,” Starmer said. “I’m standing as a candidate for prime minister, not as a candidate to run a circus.”
