The list of 40 bills reinforced the image of a government that has successfully hit the ground running. But the prime minister’s words were revealing: the speech is also an attempt to buy time, until Labour has the money needed to fund the “decade of renewal” he wants.
So the government is right to prioritise measures to boost growth such as reforming the planning laws to speed up infrastructure projects and housebuilding. Without that, Starmer will lack the revenue to rebuild public services – the “change” that many voters elected the government to make.
But many of yesterday’s proposals are from the “no cost or low cost” list Labour drew up in opposition, and there’s a problem: will voters really notice a difference? There’s a stark contrast, for example, between Tony Blair’s 1997 pledge to reduce class sizes to under 30 for children aged five to seven and Starmer’s promise to recruit 6,500 more teachers. Blair’s move was visible to pupils and parents, while Starmer’s limited pledge has been described as a third of a teacher for every school.
Esta historia es de la edición July 18, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 18, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark illuminate ‘Lungs'
The Proms lift Florence and the Machine’s debut album on the LP’s 15th anniversary. Roisin O’Connor is blown away
PUT A CORK IN IT
As a report claims just 27% of young people own a corkscrew, Olivia Petter reflects on the effect of solo boozing at home
Why a little-and-often diet plan beats three meals a day
Grazing like our ancestors offers a wealth of health benefits, says Hannah Twiggs, like better portion control, more stable energy levels and improved muscle strength in older adults
Controversial choices are ‘tarnishing' Canelo's legacy
Fans are desperate to see him fight David Benavidez but the Mexican superstar instead boxes Edgar Berlanga tomorrow
Ten Hag shrugs off Ronaldo criticism of Man United
Erik ten Hag shrugged off criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo by saying that the Portuguese star is far away from Manchester and implying he is out of touch with events at his old club.
Man City hearing into 115 charges to begin Monday
The long-awaited hearing into Manchester City’s alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules is to begin on Monday, according to Sky Sports and ESPN.
Port Talbot rescue sums up Britain's industrial decline
The government has announced a “new improved” arrangement with Tata, the conglomerate that owns the Port Talbot steelworks, confirming a £500m grant that will go towards building a greener electric arc furnace.
Six Indian men fighting for Russia set to return home
A father who has never met his newborn son is among six Indian nationals set to be released from serving in the Russian army, nervously awaiting their clearance to fly home after being sent back from the front line of Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
Greece warns Germany not to ‘scrap' the Schengen area
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has warned German chancellor Olaf Scholz that an increase in migration into Europe cannot be addressed by unilaterally scrapping” the freemovement Schengen zone.
Israeli strike on Gaza school is 'appalling', says Lammy
The deaths of six UN workers in an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza has been described as appalling” by David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary.