Can Keir Starmer’s six goals turn the tide? What the prime minister said – and what it all means | Politics

Sir Keir Starmer’s speech on Thursday mentioned the word “milestone” eight times and “missions” 13 times. There were also three “promises” and one “promise”.

All this added up to one big thing: the prime minister trying to turn the tide after a difficult start in government by setting targets it must achieve before the end of this parliament.

The “Plan for Change” speech focused on six well-defined themes.

1) Higher standard of living

Starmer promised “higher living standards in all regions of the country. So working people have more money in their pockets … the burden of the cost of living crisis … no longer intrudes on the joy of family life.”

Analysis: Critics of Labour’s first budget will argue that this target has been made more difficult by the measures it announced, including increases in employers’ national insurance contributions. The Confederation of British Industry has since warned that “expectations for growth have taken a decisive turn for the worse” and that the Budget will make it harder for businesses to hire new staff. The Resolution Foundation described the targets as “the bare minimum for any functioning government”.

2) Building 1.5m home in England

Promising to speed up planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects, Starmer said: “It’s clear that if we don’t turbocharge housebuilding with reforms, we’re not going to reach that milestone. And if that level of openness surprises you… then frankly – it shouldn’t. After all, what’s the point of setting a goal that you can deliver without courageous action?”

Analysis: This may be the hardest challenge of them all. That was set out in Labour’s manifesto and in July, the Economist Hugo Bessis explained how difficult this issue has become for all administrations. “The track record of previous governments suggests that building enough – not just more – new homes is an almost impossible challenge due to a range of economic, planning and social barriers,” he said. Last year, housing construction fell by more than 5%, the lowest level in eight years.

3) 92 percent of patients in England who do not wait longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment

Starmer said the NHS “perhaps more than any institution … represents the bigger ‘us’. And yet here we are … the NHS – even the NHS … is losing the trust of the British public … broken … but not beyond repair.”

Analysis: This was another manifesto promise. Currently fewer than 60% of surgeries or other procedures occurred within an 18-week period. Siva Anandacivaan expert at the health and social care charity The King’s Fund said a review of the NHS by Lord Darzi, commissioned by Labour, appeared to dampen expectations of waiting lists, but the government “has doubled down and promised to go to hell to meet all targets”. Starmer has chosen one “reform or die” strategy, trying to achieve a goal by the end of the parliament, which has not been done for a decade.

4) Put the police back on the beat with a named officer for each community and 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and special officers

Starmer promised more police on the beat and to stamp out anti-social behavior in every community because, he said, “no one should feel unsafe on the streets they call home”.

Analysis: In terms of attainability, this is one of the easiest. The Tories said Labor had cooked up the figures and claimed “fewer than a third of Labour’s 13,000 neighborhood police are actually new constables”.

Yet there is another concern, raised by Richard Atkinson, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales. He warned that the focus on crime and justice was welcome, but that cross-cutting investment was needed.

“It will be essential that the increased funds for more police officers are matched by investments in legal aid, the prosecution and courts. More police on the street means more arrests and a huge knock-on effect on the rest of the system.”

5) Making a record 75% of five-year-olds in England ready to learn when they start school

Starmer said one in three children “are not ready for school by age five.” He said there were students in reception “who don’t start to read … they struggle to speak.” Labour’s aim is to get an additional 40,000 to 45,000 children a year to meet the development goals.

Analysis: According to Schools Week, this year 67.7% of children were assessed as having a “good” level of development across areas such as language, personal development, mathematics and literacy. Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust, said the 75The % target was “certainly the right ambition … but achieving this will be a significant task if the status quo remains in early education for the most disadvantaged children.

“The gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers in meeting these learning targets has widened since 2017 and there is no sign of this trend reversing.”

6) Energy security, protection of bill payers and climate security

In the speech, the Prime Minister promised “clean power by 2030 … home-grown British energy … making our country safer … so never again can a tyrant like Putin attack the living standards of working people”.

Analysis: Labor talks about making Britain a clean energy superpower, but it will cost money. Cash will be needed for renewable energy infrastructure and for CO2 capture and storage – itself a controversial area. Alice Delahunty, the president of UK electricity transmission at National Grid, told the FT October, that the goal of decarbonising the electricity system by 2030 was “incredibly extensive” and would only be achieved with major political reforms. “If it went perfectly with the current regimes, it wouldn’t get there. So it has to go perfectly with reformed regimes.”