Keir Starmer will attempt to take on Tony Blair’s mantle on Tuesday by describing Labor as the “political wing of the British people” as he accuses the Tories of losing control of the economy and ceding the political center.
In his keynote speech at the Labor conference in Liverpool, Starmer will outline his stand for the next general election saying his plans show Labor is once again “the party of the centre”.
He will claim that Labor is now offering the country a “fresh start” after the turmoil of successive Tory governments, and will pledge to take Britain out of “this never-ending cycle of crisis”.
“What we’ve seen from the government in recent days is unprecedented,” he will say, a view of the economic mess of recent days shared by many jittery Tory MPs. “They have lost control of the British economy, and for what? For tax cuts for the richest 1% of our society.”
Along with his shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, he has argued that Labor is now the party of fiscal responsibility – or “sound money” – after the pound plummeted in response to Tory plans to borrow billions to pay for massive tax cuts.
Labor members, for the first time in years, have become more comfortable celebrating the achievements of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, with both featured in a campaign video shown in the main room, and New Labor architect Peter Mandelson has been watching the speeches. .
The current Labor leader’s choice of phrase – that his party is now “the political wing of the British people” – is a direct echo of the same statement made by Blair about New Labour, shortly before he arrived in power in 1997.
Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has reached 17 points, according to a YouGov poll for the Times. The weekend poll put Labor on 45%, with the Conservatives on 28%, the biggest lead for Labor since YouGov started polling in 2001.
Starmer will also announce plans for a major review of the skills and apprenticeships system, based on the work of the Council for Skills Advisors, led by Lord Blunkett, another key Blairite figure, the Guardian can reveal.
Several shadow cabinet ministers at the conference, which opened with the national anthem, have drawn comparisons with Labour’s last spell in government. Leader Lisa Nandy said the party was “coming back to finish the job” of New Labour, with the party undergoing a dramatic transformation and now “fit to govern”.
Lord Mandelson said Britons now believed it was “now safe” to vote Labor again, with the party moving on from the Corbyn era, and had decided the Tories had “had their chance”.
He added: “We knew how to run a railway before and when we came into power. We always remembered where the British people are rather than where some of our party would like us to be.”
A Labor spokesman, accepting the comparison with the Blair era, said: “This is a Labor party that has changed. It’s back at the centre, and that’s absolutely something we want to point out.
“Finally, him [Starmer] he wants to be the next Labor leader to bring the opposition party into government.”
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A YouGov snap poll on Monday found almost twice as many people, 36% to 19%, believe a Labor government under Starmer would have the right policies and plans to deal with the rising cost of living, compared with the Liz Truss government.
In Tuesday’s speech, Starmer will say: “We should never be cowering in a supportive position, worrying about how we’ll get through a winter. It’s time for Britain to stand tall again.”
The Guardian can reveal that a future Labor government would reform the apprenticeship levy, widely seen as a failure, into a “growth and skills tax”, giving businesses the flexibility they need to train their workforce.
They will be able to allocate up to 50% of their contributions to the collection, including current expenditure, in other types of training. Labor would also transfer spending on adult education skills to the combined authorities and set up a new expert body, Skills England, to oversee the national push.
Research shows that 61% of UK businesses currently believe they have a skills shortage in their organization and are spending an estimated £6.1 billion a year on inflated salaries, recruitment fees and temporary staff to cope shortage
Starmer will say: “Labour will give employers new flexibility to invest in the world-class training they need. Businesses want high skills, workers want training when they need it. We will see the biggest partnership between government, business and communities that this country has ever seen.”
His strategy to boost growth includes a “green prosperity plan” to create a million new jobs in towns and cities across the country. He will pledge to start this mission, which also includes reducing energy bills, raising living standards and tackling the climate crisis, within 100 days of forming the government.