, Leader of the Labour today
(THURSDAY) launches Labour's first steps for change –
Labour's doorstep offer to the British people.
At a major event in Essex today, and his Shadow Cabinet will
outline Labour's offer to the country after 14 years of failure
and decline under Conservative governments.
After successful May elections, told members of the Shadow
Cabinet that: “this next phase of our strategy is crucially
important. It's where we work tirelessly to give people back a
belief in change, by showing the real difference a Labour
government will make to their lives.”
Following the launch of the five national missions last year, he
explained that now was the time to show how, if elected, we would
make an urgent start to deliver on them.
Speaking ahead of the event, told the shadow cabinet that
for this election Labour was evolving its traditional pledge card
and would be promising first steps towards the missions – “a down
payment on change – on our determination to begin a decade of
national renewal”.
He said: “What is crucial about these commitments is that they
are part of a long-term plan to get Britain back on its
feet.”
“Each of the first steps would chime with voters' aspirations,
show a clear set of priorities and a powerful direction of
travel,” he said.
promised that each of the
first steps would be a serious change, not a sticking plaster
solution. Each would be ‘gimmick free', fully costed and funded
and make a difference to the lives of working people. “People
want someone to get a grip – get things done and start to get
Britain back on its feet. That is what our first steps are
about.”
The Labour leader stressed that the first of these steps would be
economic stability because that would be the biggest change we
could offer the country after five prime ministers in seven years
and economic chaos costing working families so much. “Stability
is change', he told the Shadow Cabinet.
On this foundation of economic stability, Labour's plans for
growth include building 1.5million homes with the biggest boost
to affordable, social and council housing for a generation,
making work pay with a new deal for working people, introducing a
new modern UK industrial strategy, giving Mayors and combined
authorities powers and flexibility to turbocharge local growth,
and reforming our skills system to meet the needs of the coming
decade.
Labour's First Steps to Change Britain:
-
Deliver economic stability with tough
spending rules, so we can grow our economy and keep taxes,
inflation and mortgages as low as possible.
-
Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more
appointments each week, during evenings and weekends, paid for
by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.
-
Launch a new Border Security Command with
hundreds of new specialist investigators and use counter-terror
powers to smash the criminal boat gangs.
-
Set up Great British Energy a
publicly-owned clean power company, to cut bills for good and
boost energy security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and
gas giants.
-
Crack down on antisocial
behaviour with more neighbourhood police
paid for by ending wasteful contracts, tough new penalties for
offenders, and a new network of youth hubs.
-
Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key
subjects to prepare children for life, work and the future,
paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.
MP, Leader of the Labour
Party, said:
“These first steps make real our claim that a changed Labour
Party is back in service of working people. They show our
priorities, what we care about and what the British public cares
about. Country first, party second.”
"These first steps will make a real difference to people's lives.
If you're waiting in pain for NHS treatment, if your child is at
school and you want higher standards, if your local area is
plagued by anti-social behaviour, if you want cheaper energy
bills for good, these first steps show what a Labour Government
will do to help you."
told colleagues that in each
policy area Labour needed to be crystal clear about the levers to
pull that will make the biggest impact as quickly as
possible:
"The contrast at the election is going to be stark. A Tory Party
that gets nothing done, can't deliver – struggles to get to the
end of the week. And a Labour Party, sleeves rolled up, fixing
problems with a long-term plan for change”…“These steps can only
be achieved if we pull together, with a sense of common purpose,
ending the years of division, and rebuilding the country in
partnership.”
