‘Put control, wealth and opportunity in hands of the people’
Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary and Labour leadership contender, sets out his vision ahead of his visit to Cardiff and Swansea today
WE NEED radical redistribution of power, wealth and opportunity from Westminster to Wales.
Another future is possible. That is why I am running to be leader of the Labour Party.
I don’t believe we have to accept the current broken economic model or a status quo that hoards power, wealth and opportunity in Westminster. I also strongly believe that Labour and the country needs to rediscover a sense of hope and possibility.
As Chris Coleman said when reflecting on the epic journey of the Welsh football team in the 2016 European Championships: “Dream. Don’t be afraid to have dreams. Because four years ago I was as far away from this as you can imagine and look what’s happened.”
Right now Labour seem a long way from realising our dreams. The election result was devastating. The task ahead is huge, but we need to start work now on forging that radical programme that can build public trust and speak to the 2020s and 2030s.
This work is urgent, not least with vital Assembly elections coming up next year. As we seek to learn the lessons, we must never let go of our Labour values. Values that have been forged in Wales and values which remain at the heart of the devolved government here, thanks to Welsh Labour.
As I have been setting out this week, I believe we have to end the status quo and put control, wealth and opportunity back into the hands of people.
This is central to the moral case for socialism I have been making.
The Welsh Government has for some time sounded the warning klaxon about the uncertain future of an unreformed United Kingdom in a post-Brexit world.
It is a refrain echoed in Scotland and it is high time these warnings were heard and acted on.
We must build a new long-term political and constitutional consensus; and I believe that this could be based on a new federal structure.
An idea that would see a radical shift of power out of Westminster and be underpinned with a written constitution, developed through consultation with communities across the UK.
Wales would have a central role to play in this work – the politicians and academics here have already shown so much leadership on this agenda.
I will be pressing Boris Johnson to deliver a constitutional convention to answer this growing crisis. If he refuses, we can’t wait five years for this to start. So if I am elected leader, Labour will start our own convention from opposition and start building a national consensus.
This convention should ensure the widest possible range of voices are heard, involving civil society, local and regional government and of course, the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments.
This cannot be about handing power from one group of politicians to another; it must be guided by the principle of taking power, resource and opportunity much closer to the people. It’s the principle that helped our party deliver devolution in the first place.
For the people who say, “But this isn’t a doorstep issue”, I say that of course it is – if you listen properly. Trust in politicians and government is at an all-time low.
Devolved administrations are stymied in their ability to deliver on bread-and-butter issues because they don’t have the right powers or the right resources.
A change in how the UK operates based on mutual respect and not a top-down “you’ll get what you are given” attitude from Westminster is long overdue.
Think about how the powers devolved in an imperfect system, and in an age of enforced austerity, already protect and empower Welsh communities.
It means that young people here get the Educational Maintenance Allowance and student nurses still receive a bursary.
It means new schools are still being built, with funding for free school breakfasts and sanitary products without charge for all learners. Free prescriptions for all is the norm and anti-trade union laws have been repealed.
The prospect of a Tory power grab in the wake of Brexit makes this work all the more urgent.
They have rolled back promises on the Welsh Government’s role in negotiations and look set to strip away the regional funding policy too.
Under my leadership, Labour will fight this tooth and nail alongside our colleagues in Welsh Government. Not a penny less; not a power lost.
The achievements here in Wales make it clear that another future is possible.
Even with our hands tied by Tory austerity, we have seen what can happen when our values are put into action.
But the time has come to make this less of a fight and more of a fundamental right – for the nations and regions of the UK to have the powers and the funding they need to make the choices that make sense for them.
In that spirit of mutual respect, we can continue to thrive.