Sir Keir Starmer to set out government's 'plan for change' after turbulent week with Louise Haigh resignation
Sir Keir Starmer will set out a “plan for change” with milestones in key areas as he tries to turn the page on a turbulent week which saw the Transport Secretary resign.
Louise Haigh was the first Labour Cabinet minister to quit after it emerged she pleaded guilty to a criminal offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.
The Sheffield Heeley MP said in a letter to Sir Keir that the matter would have been a “distraction” from her work delivering Government policy.
The Prime Minister will attempt to reset his premiership this week by announcing what he has called the “next phase” of Government.
Sir Keir will reveal the markers for his “missions” that Number 10 say will allow the public to hold the Government to account on their promises.
The milestones will run alongside public sector reform, Downing Street said.
This will include a focus on reforming Whitehall, spearheaded by the as-yet-unannounced new chief civil servant and Cabinet ministers, so it is geared towards the delivery of Labour’s missions, according to Number 10.
The same focus will also influence decisions for next year’s spending review, it has been suggested.
Labour’s missions, as laid out in their July election manifesto, focus on economic growth, energy security and cleaner energy, the NHS, childcare and education systems, as well as crime and criminal justice.
Ahead of revealing the details, Sir Keir said in a statement: “This plan for change is the most ambitious yet honest programme for government in a generation.
“Mission-led government does not mean picking milestones because they are easy or will happen anyway – it means relentlessly driving real improvements in the lives of working people.
“We are already fixing the foundations and have kicked-started our first steps for change, stabilising the economy, setting up a new Border Security Command, and investing £22 billion in an NHS that is fit for the future.
“Our plan for change is the next phase of delivering this Government’s mission.
“Some may oppose what we are doing and no doubt there will be obstacles along the way, but this Government was elected on mandate of change and our plan reflects the priorities of working people.
“Given the unprecedented challenges we have inherited we will not achieved this by simply doing more of the same, which is why investment comes alongside a programme of innovation and reform.”
The so-called “missions” outlined in Labour’s election manifesto focused on five key policy areas: kickstart economic growth; make Britain a clean energy superpower; take back our streets; break down barriers to opportunity; and build an NHS fit for the future.
Not all policy areas will have “milestones” to hit, however. On immigration, earlier this week, Sir Keir flatly refused to give a target he was hoping to reduce net migration to.