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 has insisted his new milestones are not confusing as he was repeatedly asked to clarify his party’s “plan for change”.
In an attempted Labour relaunch, the prime minister gave a major speech this morning listing six milestones he pledged to achieve over the course of this parliament on the way to fulfilling the “missions” he set for himself before the election.
Sir Keir was forced to defend his milestones, insisting they are not confusing for the public to understand and to explain that they are not a reset of his priorities.
The speech also raised questions over migration targets, with Kemi Badenoch accusing the PM of including “nothing concrete on immigration”.
Responding to Sir Keir’s speech, which she branded an “emergency reset” after a challenging five months in office, the Conservative Party leader also accused him of dropping economic growth as a key target.
Sir Keir had promised the first milestone to be reached by the end of the parliament would be “higher living standards in every region of the country”, adding that the UK was aiming for the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket”.
Other milestones included building 1.5 million new homes and introducing 150 major infrastructure projects, putting more police on the beat with a view to making Britain’s streets safer, giving every child the “best start in life”, achieving clean power by 2030, and cutting NHS backlogs.
Comment | Keir Starmer has declared war on whoever has been in charge since July
Today’s event in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire looked and sounded like the launch of a manifesto. Anyone tuning in without being told might think that the petition for an immediate general election had been successful, and that Keir Starmer was campaigning against whoever had been in charge since July.
He complained that productivity in the public sector had declined – a decline that would not be tolerated in the private sector. “I’m not going to subsidise it with ever-rising taxes on the British people,” he said, having just raised taxes on the British people.
But the more strenuously he proclaimed his “huge” and “ambitious” plan for change, the more striking was the contrast with the confusion, uncertainty and caution of the past five months.
John Rentoul writes:
PM denies watering down green energy pledge
Sir Keir Starmer has denied watering down a green energy pledge after setting a target for the UK to be “on track” to deliver 95 per cent clean power by 2030.
The “milestone” in Sir Keir’s new “plan for change” pledges a measure in line with advice from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) aiming for 95% reliance on “low carbon generation”.
The Prime Minister denied there was a shift in position while announcing his plan at Pinewood Studios.
Sir Keir said: “The clean energy pledge is today exactly what it was in the election; that has always been central to our mission.”
He added: “The mission hasn’t changed from the day I launched it nearly two years ago.
“In terms of where we need to get to on clean energy by 2030, it’s exactly the same as it always was.
“There’s always going to be a mix but that is the pledge that we made two years ago. That is the mission and we’ve not changed it today.”
New law may see driver’s blood tested without consent after fatal collisions
Changes to the law may allow a driver’s blood to be tested without consent after fatal road traffic collisions, commons leader Lucy Powell has suggested.
A Labour MP raised the case of six-year-old Sharlotte-Sky Naglis who died after being hit by a drunk driver in Stoke in 2021. The driver, John Owen, spent 11 weeks in a coma after the accident and his blood could not be tested for evidence by police without his consent due to current legislation.
Claire, Sharlotte’s mother, is calling for section 7A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to be amended so blood can be tested without consent after fatal collisions.
In the Commons, Ms Powell told Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams that the government is “considering some possible changes to motoring offences to cover situations like this”.
In full: Keir Starmer’s six milestones for change
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has set out the six milestones in his “plan for change”.
Here they are in full:
- Delivery of higher, real, household disposable income and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by the end of the Parliament. This is part of the goal of having the highest sustained economic growth in the G7.
- At 1.5 million homes to be built in England and planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects to be fast-tracked.
- To meet the NHS standard of 92 per cent of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment.
- An additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles in England and Wales with a named officer for every community.
- A record of 75 per cent of five-year-olds ready to learn by the time they school.
- Putting the UK “on track” to at least 95 per cent clean power by 2030.
Watch: Keir Starmer delivers Labour’s ‘plan for change’ in major speech
PM suggests successful delivery of government’s plans could counter rise of populist politics
The prime minister suggested that successful delivery of the Government’s plans could counter the rise of populist politics.
In his speech given earlier, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Everyone can see there’s a growing impatience with traditional politics. Everyone can see how people are tired with those who fail to get the job done.
“Now, populism isn’t the answer to Britain’s challenges. Easy answers won’t make our country strong.
“But nobody can deny that this kind of politics feeds off real concerns.”
He added: “What people want from their politics, that hasn’t changed.
“They want a stable economy, they want their country to be safe, their borders secure, more cash in their pockets, safer streets in their town, opportunities for their children, secure British energy in their home and an NHS that is fit for the future.
“That is why we’ve set these missions. Missions to make our country strong, missions to make working people better off, missions this Government will deliver.”
‘These milestones aren’t a clear route to real change’: Green Party’s verdict on Starmer’s speech
The Green Party’s co-leader has said “these milestones aren’t a clear route to real change” as he gave his verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s speech.
Adrian Ramsay said: “These milestones aren’t a clear route to real change. Today’s listicle, while pointing in the right direction on a handful of issues, is missing the wholesale ambition and drive that a Government elected on a change agenda needs.
“We have a country reeling from severe flooding and facing more storms this weekend, a country where people are struggling to heat their homes this winter, and a country worried about finding the school places and doctor appointments that those they love need.
“Instead of listing out a few priorities, suggesting that these will be delivered at the expense of other important issues, we wanted today to see a gear change in this government where they accept that we need to ask the very richest to pay more tax so we could properly fund all our frontline public services.”
PM insists migration would fall as he was repeatedly asked about its notable absence from milestones
The prime minister insisted both legal and illegal migration would fall as he faced repeated questions from journalists about why the issue did not feature in the milestones he had set out.
Sir Keir Starmer told reporters: “We are going to drive down migration, both legal and illegal. That will only be done with a serious plan.
“We had a gimmick for a number of years called Rwanda. What happened? The numbers went up. We wasted a lot of money – £700 million – removing four volunteers to Rwanda. It didn’t work.
“The only way to make it work is to smash the gangs that are running the vile trade and that’s why we’ve invested so much in setting up the command that is needed to do that.”
He added the British public wanted “a serious plan to ensure we’ve got control of our borders, not arbitrary caps, not gimmicks”.
Sir Keir had earlier described the most recent migration figures as “shocking” and claimed the issue it did not feature in his milestones as reducing migration was one of the “foundational things that a government must do”.
Reform UK criticises PM for not including migration in his milestones for government
Reform UK criticised the Prime Minister for not including migration in his milestones for Government.
A Reform UK Spokesman said: “Keir Starmer’s milestones for Government doesn’t include immigration or any measurable targets to hold him to on immigration.
“After freezing pensioners, hiking taxes and risking the future of British farming, the damage has already been done.
“We were promised growth and change, instead we have had sleaze, dishonesty and more of the same that the Tories gave us. Britain needs Reform.”
Miliband deployed to explain why Labour is not watering down its 100% clean energy mission despite setting it at 95%
Ed Miliband was deployed to explain to journalists why Labour is not watering down its 100 per cent clean energy mission despite setting it at 95 per cent.
He says: “It was always the case that we would have a small strategic reserve of gas. We have set that at 5 per cent.”
