Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “sidelining” his pledge for the UK to have the fastest growth in the G7 ahead of a set of new targets aimed at making Brits feel richer.
The Prime Minister has been criticised for appearing to ditch the “key election pledge” in what a Tory opponent told The Telegraph was “breaching [the] very trust” of voters.
He is expected to announce a new ‘plan for change’ with new economic targets aimed at making the British public feel richer and boosting living standards before the next election.
A Conservative Party spokesperson told the newspaper on Sunday: “Keir Starmer sidelining his pledge to have the fastest growth in the G7 is the direct and inevitable consequence of his disastrous Budget of broken promises.
“Labour said they wanted a mission-led government, but after five disastrous months in government and 17 relaunches they cannot even decide what those missions are.
“Keir Starmer said he wanted to build trust in politics but by sidelining his key election pledge he is breaching that very trust.”
UK growth in jeopardy
But a Labour source insisted the manifesto pledge to secure the highest G7 growth remained the government’s goal and that the target remained in place.
However, the Prime Minister’s new targets – seen by some as a government reset – come after the UK’s growth prospects were thrown into doubt amid warnings over the impact of the Chancellor’s tax-raising Budget, and of the threat of tariffs, post-Trump’s US election victory.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) boss, Rain Newton-Smith, warned last week that the government’s tax hikes will squeeze profits, damage investment and “hit growth”, while Labour insiders are reportedly concerned about the risk of a pledge beyond their control.
While the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts UK growth to be 1.1 per cent in 2024, compared to estimates for the US economy sitting at around 2.8 per cent.
Sir Keir will announce a series of new milestone promises on Thursday, including in relation to the pounds in people’s pockets, as well as increasing children’s readiness for school, and vowing to ensure people wait no longer than 18 weeks for routine NHS treatment.
‘New measurable milestones’
Starmer described the apparent reset this weekend as “the most ambitious yet honest delivery plan in a generation”, and added: “That means doing things a different way, and launching new, measurable milestones so the public can track our progress.”
The targets will build on the five pre-election missions Labour pledged prior to the July 4 election, which were: to boost economic growth, create a “zero-carbon” electricity system, make the NHS “fit for the future”, make streets safe, and break down barriers to opportunity.
Tackling illegal immigration was also made an additional pre-election priority, but cabinet minister Pat McFadden insisted a “numerical” cap was not needed, despite it emerging more than 20,000 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since the election win.
Building safety minister Alex Norris told Times Radio this morning he “can’t comment on newspaper speculation”, and added: “I think you may have to wait to see what the prime minister himself says on Thursday.”
Pressed on the report, he insisted: “What we are very clear on, we’ve made commitments, we were elected on them, and we’re going to show to the public how we’re going to deliver on them. The precise form of that, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for the prime minister.”