Keir Starmer has said he will publish clear ambitions for his five missions over the next five years and will publicly track progress against them.
Delivering a speech this morning in the West Midlands ahead of Wednesday’s Budget – Labour’s first in 14 years – the prime minister said his party had inherited an “unprecedented” situation of weak public finances and public services but added that he expects to be judged on his “ability to deal with this”.
“Because I know that actions speak louder than words, because I expect to be judged by the British people, in the coming weeks on every mission we will publish clear ambitions for this parliament,” Starmer said.
“And we will also track our progress against them so every single person can see exactly how we measure up to the things that matter to them. After all, we have five years and a big mandate, so working people will not accept any excuses.”
Starmer’s five missions are:
- Kickstarting economic growth
- Making Britain a clean energy superpower
- Taking back our streets
- Breaking down barriers to opportunity
- Building an NHS fit for the future
Setting out progress on the missions in the government's first few months, Starmer said: "Every single one of our national missions is about delivering for [working people], so we're getting on with the job.
"That's why we reformed planning rules to get Britain building again, to restore the dream of home ownership. It's why we ended the junior doctor strikes, to lift the pressure on our NHS, and start cutting waiting. It's why we stopped the riots with tough sentences for violent thugs, launched a Border Security Command to smash the people smugglers, switched on Great British energy to get Putin's boot off our throat, make our country more secure, and create good jobs right across the country. It's also why we've started the work of changing our economy, stabilising it, fixing its foundations, but also changing how it works for them."
Starmer also promised that the Budget will “prevent devastating austerity in our public services and prevent a disastrous path for our public finances”.
“That’s the reality of what would have happened if we stuck to Tory spending plans – and it’s why we never, unlike the opposition in ’97 and 2010, committed to the same spending plans," he said.
The PM also pledged to be “ruthless in clamping down on government waste" and to “run towards the tough decisions", and promised "better days ahead".