Starmer urges voters to reject ‘populism and cynicism’ ahead of next election
The Labour leader will claim the Tories have ‘no practical achievements to point towards’ after nearly 14 years in Government.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Keir Starmer will urge voters to reject “pointless populist gestures” as he kicks off the likely election year with a speech seeking to draw dividing lines with Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party.
In a visit to the West of England, the Labour leader will claim the Tories have “no practical achievements to point towards” after nearly 14 years in Government.
With 2024 expected to be the year the Prime Minister calls the next general election, Rishi Sunak will also take to the road on Thursday, with a rival new year stump speech planned in the East Midlands.
In his pitch to voters, Sir Keir will say he understands why people have turned against politicians, amid various Westminster scandals and a ramping up of political attacks between the parties ahead of the next nationwide poll.
The Labour leader will say: “You can reject the pointless populist gestures and the low-road cynicism that the Tories believe is all you deserve.
“That’s all they have left now. After 14 years, with nothing good to show, no practical achievements to point towards, no purpose beyond the fight to save their own skins.
“They can’t change Britain, so they try to undermine the possibility of change itself.”
He will promise to “clean up politics” of sleaze, adding: “No more VIP fast lanes, no more kickbacks for colleagues, no more revolving doors between Government and the companies they regulate.
“I will restore standards in public life with a total crackdown on cronyism: this ends now.”
Sir Keir will point to his legal career as a record of his anti-sleaze zeal, claiming he helped send both Labour and Tory “expense cheat politicians” to jail in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal, while serving as the director of public prosecutions.
He will also mention having worked with “people living on death row”, a reference to his legal work on Caribbean death row cases in the early 2000s.
That’s who we are now, a changed Labour Party. No longer in thrall to gesture politics, no longer a party of protest, but a party of service.
The Labour leader will continue to draw a dividing line with his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, while seeking to demonstrate to voters he will offer a fresh start from the Conservatives.
He will describe the UK as a nation “exhausted” by “the sex scandals, the expenses scandals, the waste scandals, the contracts for friends”.
Sir Keir will add: “So, whether you’re thinking of voting Labour for the first time, whether you always vote Labour, or whether you have no intention of voting Labour whatsoever: my party will serve you.
“That’s who we are now, a changed Labour Party. No longer in thrall to gesture politics, no longer a party of protest, but a party of service.”
Ahead of the speech, the Conservatives meanwhile sought to suggest Sir Keir was prone to reversing previously-made decisions.
Chairman of the Conservative Party Richard Holden said: “Nothing is more cynical and populist than a weathervane Labour leader who has a consistent track record of telling people whatever he thinks they want to hear on any given day.
“He was for a second Brexit referendum, then he wasn’t. He told Labour members when he was running to be leader he would nationalise industry and scrap tuition fees, but then dropped these policies as soon as the contest was over. And he says he opposes Jeremy Corbyn now despite campaigning twice to make him prime minister and calling him his ‘friend’.
“The only thing we know for certain about Keir Starmer is that he has a £28 billion black hole in his spending promises which will mean thousands of pounds of tax rises every year for families.”