Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STARMER: 2 YEARS UNTIL AN ELECTION
Labour leader says party must be ‘bold’
KEIR Starmer says Labour must be ready to fight a general election in two years.
The party’s leader added he intends to put a “bold” vision to voters with a plan to “get Britain working again”.
The next election is not due until May 2024 but it could be sooner, and Mr Starmer feels Labour must be prepared for it by 2023.
With the Tories ahead in the polls, he has also addressed claims he does not seem passionate enough and has not given the party a clear direction.
Mr Starmer said: “For me this is personal. My dad worked on a factory floor all his life. I know the pride that comes with a good wage and job security and my passion is delivering that for the next generation.”
Boris Johnson has pledged to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. Doing so would allow him to call an election before 2024 without having to ask permission from the Commons.
Mr Starmer said: “I have instructed the party to be ready to fight one as early as 2023.” He added:
“Labour must be bold. Our ambition for Britain must match the moment.
“Not merely fiddling with tax incentives or creating pots of money for towns to scrap over, but creating an economy that works for everyone.
“The task for Labour is clear: to get Britain working again.”
Mr Starmer, who yesterday marked his first anniversary as leader, added: “Creating a health system that is the envy of the world won’t just be about spending money on the NHS.
“It will mean a radical rethinking of everything from early intervention to fitness to education.”
He also said Labour will take on “the increasingly toxic way public life is conducted”.
He added: “The rise of nativism and nationalism have wrenched people apart. It is because we love this country we want to make it as good as it can be.
“Labour’s patriotism is optimistic not jingoistic.
“It is the belief there is nothing inevitable or unsolvable about the problems around us. “It is the hope for a greater, safer, greener, more prosperous future – and the resolve to make it happen.”
Labour’s patriotism is the hope for a better, safer future MR STARMER ON HIS PARTY’S AMBITIONS