Keir Starmer is expected to tell the public that things are “worse than we ever imagined”. (File)
London, United Kingdom:
In his first major speech since taking office, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was ready to warn on Tuesday that life in Britain will get “worse” before it gets “better”.
Keir Starmer, whose Labour Party won a landslide victory on July 4, is expected to use his speech to step up his attacks on the legacy of the deposed Conservatives.
His comments follow criticism that Labour is looking for an excuse to raise taxes, even though the party had promised before the election not to raise certain taxes.
“We have inherited not only an economic black hole, but also a social black hole. And that is why we must act and do things differently,” Keir Starmer will say, according to previously released excerpts from the speech.
“It also means being honest with people about the choices we face. And about how hard it’s going to be. Frankly, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has warned in recent days of “difficult decisions” over whether to cut spending or raise taxes in her first budget on October 30.
Since the Labour Party’s election victory, Reeves has repeatedly accused the Tories led by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of leaving a black hole of £22 billion ($29 billion) in this year’s budget.
But her opponents accuse her of having been aware of the state of public finances for months and of merely preparing the ground for unpopular announcements.
Keir Starmer is expected to tell the public that the situation is “worse than we ever imagined”.
Since July 4, the same motto has been adopted by ministers of all governments.
But commentators warn that voters could quickly tire of Labour blaming the Tories if there is no significant progress in tackling some of the problems facing the country.
Key campaign issues included long waiting times for treatment in the National Health Service (NHS), immigration and the cost of living crisis, which has led to widespread strikes even by emergency medical staff.
“In the first few weeks we discovered a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. And no one should say that this is just an act or a political game,” Keir Starmer will say.
“The OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) didn’t know about it. They wrote a letter explaining it. They didn’t know – because the last government covered it up.”
The Prime Minister will also comment on the recent unrest sparked by a stabbing in which three young girls aged between six and nine who had attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance class were killed.
He is expected to say that the rioters succeeded in exploiting “the cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failure”, referring to the Conservatives’ time in government.
Officials blame right-wing extremist forces for the unrest. They targeted mosques and hotels where asylum seekers were housed, but also police officers and other buildings.
Authorities cited false information circulating online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker as the reason for the violence.
Axel Rudakubana, then 17 years old, was born in the UK to parents from Rwanda, a predominantly Christian country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
