Never again will Labour be the party of protest not public service, and never again will it allow hate to spread unchallenged, Keir Starmer has said, as he reiterated his promise to make it the party of “sound money”.
The Labour leader addressed approximately 600 people at London Labour’s annual conference on Saturday, and outlined how his government will “give people a sense of possibility again”, while focusing on the changes he has made since the party lost the 2019 general election.
Urging London members to “show not just what the Tories have done to Britain, but the Britain that Labour can build”, Starmer said: “Our message at the next election must be we are different to the party Britain rejected in 2019. We must point to the changes we’ve made. Must say, never again will Labour be a party of protest not public service.
“Never again will Labour fail to grasp that economic stability is the foundation of all our ambitions. Never again will Labour allow hate to spread unchallenged. We have changed our party and we’re ready to change Britain.”
Touching on the need to tackle antisemitism and support Nato, in order to demonstrate how far the party has changed under his leadership, Starmer said: “Let me be clear – this work never stops. Our commitment to fighting all forms of hate and discrimination – never stops. ‘Never again’ – never stops.
“It’s up to us – everyone here – to keep up the work of fighting antisemitism and changing our party. Because if we stop for one moment then we forgo the right to change our communities, our cities, our country.
“And show we want business to thrive and prosper, understanding the importance of sound money. Country first, party second.”
Starmer pledged reform to address the NHS crisis, insisting he will not “let sticking plaster politics destroy the NHS”.
“I won’t stand for that, Labour won’t stand for that. It’s why we’ve got a fully costed plan for the biggest NHS training programme in its history,” he said.
Promising more staff to tackle the capacity crisis, he said that a Labour government will also “broker a fair pay agreement that will transform the pay and conditions for every carer in the country”.
“We’ll reform the NHS, so it once again gives people the care and security they deserve.”
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In his keynote speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool last year, Starmer described the party as one of “sound money” in a bid to highlight the difference between Labour and the Tories after the economic fallout from Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget.
On Saturday, he said: “The lesson of the last year is stark. Lose control of the economy, and it is businesses and working people who pick up the bill.
“We can’t let that happen, even when it puts a brake on things – good Labour things – we might like to do in power.
“Sound money in our public finances comes first. But at the same time, we must be bold on reform, on reconstruction, on national renewal. That’s what the British people expect from a Labour government – and we will deliver.”