U.K.’s Labour Announces “New Chapter for Britain”

Sir Keir Starmer points toward a new direction for the U.K. in his proposed plan. (Flickr)

Leader of the U.K. Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer revealed his “New Chapter for Britain” speech delivered via video link on February 18. He seeks to define his vision for the party and re-energize the voter base.

His speech follows YouGov polling data that shows 33 percent of Britons support Boris Johnson as prime minister compared to Starmer’s 31 percent. This is the first time since July 2020 that Starmer’s popularity has dropped below Johnson’s. Johnson has garnered this support despite the U.K. having the third highest per capita COVID-19 death rate in Europe.

Sir Keir lambasted the Tories’ record in his speech, criticizing their “failed ideology” and arguing that under their governorship “life itself got cheaper and shorter.” 

Brandishing Labour’s governmental credentials, Starmer referred back to his party’s construction of the welfare state after WWII, and quoted former leader Harold Wilson: “This party is a moral crusade or nothing.”

Breaking with recent Labour politics, Starmer rejected what he described as a historic “taxed and tolerated” approach to business. Spelling out his vision for a “new partnership with British business,” he aims to win back the 59 parliamentary seats lost under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in the 2019 election. 

Starmer’s key proposals, including a British Recovery Bond to fuel post-pandemic recovery, and provision of 100,000 grants to start-up businesses, have met a mixed response. On one side, co-chair of Momentum, a far left-wing organization in the Labour movement, Andrew Scattergood argues the plan “showed no ambition and little substance.” However, key Labour supporting unions, including UNISON and TUC, offered cautious approval of Starmer’s anti-austerity stance.

“I want our country to go forward, to embrace the change that’s coming—in science, technology, and work—and be ready to face the future,” he told the electorate. With the next general election scheduled for May 2, 2024, Sir Keir recognized Labour has “a mountain to climb” to win back lost voters.