Sir Keir Starmer lays out 'contract' for a Labour government

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has laid out his “contract” with the country he would upkeep if the party return to power, emphasising the importance of “security, prosperity, and respect”.
By Caitlin Doherty
Published 4th Jan 2022, 12:04 BST
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a keynote speech at Millennium Point, Birmingham, setting out his party's ambition for a new Britain.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a keynote speech at Millennium Point, Birmingham, setting out his party's ambition for a new Britain.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a keynote speech at Millennium Point, Birmingham, setting out his party's ambition for a new Britain.

The opposition has to earn people’s trust, he told reporters in Birmingham, adding that Labour is “confident but not complacent about the task ahead.”

The former lawyer has enjoyed a high in the polls in recent weeks following a series of controversies for Boris Johnson’s Government.

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In the keynote speech this morning, Sir Keir said he wanted to start the new year by making a “pledge of straight leadership”.

He went on: “Today I want to introduce my contract with the British people. This will be a solemn agreement about what this country needs and how a good government should conduct itself.

“I am well aware that just because the Tories lose the public’s trust it doesn’t mean Labour simply inherits it. Trust has to be earned. I am confident but not complacent about the task ahead.”

He repeatedly emphasised that Labour is a “patriotic party” and that his contract would be a “solemn agreement”, setting out how a good government should conduct itself.

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Read more: Sir Keir Starmer on the frustrations of being a leader during the pandemic and winning voters back

“I am well aware that just because the Tories lose the public’s trust it doesn’t mean Labour simply inherits it. Trust has to be earned. I am confident but not complacent about the task ahead,” he said.

While the UK remains a “great place to live”, he said it is not unpatriotic to point out that the country has flaws.

“On the contrary, the reason we in this party want to correct those flaws is precisely because we are patriotic,” he said.

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A poll for the Mail on Sunday this weekend suggested that Labour had won back swathes of voters across Red Wall constituencies that have turned blue in recent years.

The Deltapoll survey of the 57 constituencies the Tories gained in the 2019 General Election, most of which could be considered part of the Red Wall, found that 38 per cent of voters agreed Sir Keir would make the best PM, while 33 per cent backed Mr Johnson.

The newspaper said if the results were repeated in a General Election it could cost the Conservatives more than 100 seats.

This would be enough to win Sir Keir a spot in Downing Street, they said, but leave him lacking a clear majority.

Related topics:Keir StarmerLabourBoris JohnsonGovernmentBirmingham