State handouts don’t deliver the “same sense of self-reliant dignity as a fair wage”, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he toughens his party’s line on welfare.
The Labour leader wrote in a Sunday Telegraph op-ed that working people “want success more than state support” as he vowed again to put wealth creation front and centre of the government he would lead, if elected on July 4.
Sir Keir wrote: “Serving the interests of working people means understanding they want success more than state support. Yes, this is about aspiration. Entrepreneurs. Parents working extra hours to give their children security. Young people striving for their first home.
“But it is also about dignity. The Labour mission was built on the pride of working people earning a decent living for themselves.
“We will never turn our backs on people who are struggling but handouts from the state do not nurture the same sense of self-reliant dignity as a fair wage.”
Starmer added: “I accept it’s unusual for a Labour leader to put wealth creation front and centre. I also understand why there is an emphasis on tax and spend this election.
“After 14 years of next to no growth, to doggedly pursue it is almost a new concept.”
His comments come after the Resolution Foundation found Britain’s welfare bill was set to rise by £20.8bn in the 2028-29 financial year, and soar by £60bn over the next four years.
But they said this was fuelled both by the cost of state pensions and growing numbers of those claiming sickness benefits.
The Labour leader’s comments also come after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously announced Conservative plans to clamp down on welfare spending, including by offering to overhaul sicknote practices and increase sanctions on those who choose not to seek work.
A latest Savanta opinion poll, commissioned by the Telegraph, has also reiterated Labour’s lead over the Tories, with Labour on 42 per cent of the vote, versus the Tories’ 19 per cent.
Starmer and Sunak will this week go head-to-head in two election debates, with the Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots programme on Monday, followed by the BBC on Wednesday.