STANDING in front of a huge Union Jack with a banner atop it declaring ‘Change Begins….’ Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool yesterday.
Declaring war on the working class, Starmer said he would ‘not offer false hope’, warned there are no ‘easy answers,’ threatened that ‘this will be tough in the short term’ and claimed ‘we’re all in it together’.
He announced that he would pursue refugees who ‘have no right to be here’ and that sick and disabled benefit claimants would also be pursued, claiming this would ‘save our country £1.6 billion’.
‘I understand that many of the decisions we have to take will be unpopular. Removing the Winter Fuel Allowance was neither popular nor easy. But if you don’t make unpopular decisions the country goes backwards.’
He went on: ‘It’s not just that financial black hole, the £22 billion of unfunded spending commitments concealed from our country by the Tories. It’s not just the societal black hole, our public services decimated, communities held together with little more than goodwill.
‘It’s also the political black hole, because the politics of national renewal are not easy. It will be tough in the short term, but in the long term it’s the right thing to do for our country. To coin a phrase, we’re all in it together.
‘So people ask us now, as we seek patience in pursuit of national renewal “what will we get to show from it?” I understand.
‘I know, after all that you’ve been through, how hard it is to hear a politician ask for more, But deep down, I think you also know that our country does need a long-term plan.
‘The state of our country is reeling. However, this is a government of service. And that means, whether we agree or not, I will always treat you with respect.’
He went on: ‘I understand that many of the decisions we must take will be unpopular. If they were popular they would be easy. But the cost of filling that black hole in our public finances will be shared fairly. We will get the Welfare bill down because we will tackle long-term sickness and support people back to work.’
An hour into his speech a young protester interrupted him to demand: ‘Stop arms sales to Israel!’
Starmer responded in a similar way to Chancellor Reeves’ the day before, smirking: ‘This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference,’ adding: ‘While he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party, that’s why we’ve got a Labour government.’
He concluded: ‘We will make every penny work for you because we will root out waste and tax avoidance. There will be no stone left unturned.
‘If you can’t take that long view, perhaps because you’re concerned about the Winter Fuel Allowance, I get that. As I say, it is neither popular nor easy. But the risk of showing instability to the world, as the Tories do, that is a risk we can never take again. Stabilising our economy is the first step of this long-term plan.’
PCS union General Secretary Fran Heathcote condemned Starmer for his declaration of war on benefit claimants, saying: ‘Our members working in the DWP and in jobcentres want more powers to support people into work – to help people, not trip them up.
‘The UK has some of the lowest levels of benefits in Europe. Those that do overclaim often do so in error, struggling to navigate a complex system, or because they can’t make ends meet on our poverty-level benefits. The government should focus on making our social security system less punitive and more supportive.’