PRIME Minister Keir Starmer yesterday unveiled a ‘Plan for Change’, setting out a series of ‘milestones’ his government pledged to achieve over the course of this Parliament.
He said: ‘So I’m delighted to be here today to launch our Plan for Change.’
He said: ‘Take the NHS mentioned earlier. Because perhaps more than any institution … It represents the bigger “us”’.
He added: ‘Millions owe everything to it … I wouldn’t be here without the NHS. It’s the reason my mum was able to have children … When she was first told, aged 11 … that would never happen.
‘Because the NHS never gave up on her.
‘And behind every single door in this country … there is a family who has their own version of these stories.
‘And yet here we are. The NHS – even the NHS is losing the trust of the British public.
‘There is record dissatisfaction. unable to provide the timely care and dignity that Britain relies on …
‘A precious contract between the state and the people – broken.
‘Broken – by public services in crisis, unable to perform their basic functions.
‘Broken – by an economy that leaves millions working harder just to stand still.
‘Broken – by politicians who promised change and never delivered.’
He added: ‘The NHS on its knees … a £22bn black hole in our public finances …
‘Which, just to put it into context … is nearly half what we spend on the defence of our country.
‘Now, I don’t want to use that as an excuse. I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with this.’
He added: ‘And the work of change has begun … so – this is our plan.
‘It begins, as we set out in our manifesto, with strong foundations …
‘This government will reduce immigration – legal and illegal …
‘Processing thousands more claims than when we came to office … returns of foreign national offenders – up 29% …
‘On track for the highest overall number of returns – for six years.’
He continued: ‘The 18-week target, from referral to treatment – finally met. A symbol of an NHS back on its feet … facing the future … Dignity and care restored to millions.
‘Now – some people may say… “That’s pretty brave.”
‘You’ve seen the books now … you know how hard that NHS milestone is.
‘Building 1.5m homes is ambitious … A little too ambitious, perhaps.
‘And look, I’ll be honest …
‘They’re right.
‘We face an almighty challenge to hit these milestones by the end of this Parliament.
‘Like I say – we are starting from ground zero.’
