London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Feb 01, 2026

Starmer: Only Labour can end economic turmoil, says party leader

Starmer: Only Labour can end economic turmoil, says party leader

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour can come to the UK's rescue as it has done at key moments in the past, in his big speech to the party's conference.

He said the public must never forgive the Tories for "crashing" the economy.

And the only way to end the turmoil and create a "fairer, greener, more dynamic" society was with a Labour government, he told delegates.

He said "this is a Labour moment", just as it was when the party won election victories in 1945, 1964 and 1997.

In an hour long speech, Sir Keir said the country "can't go on like this".

"The government has lost control of the British economy - and for what? They've crashed the pound - and for what?

"Higher interest rates. Higher inflation. Higher borrowing. And for what?

"Not for you. Not for working people. For tax cuts for the richest 1% in our society.

"Don't forget. Don't forgive."

He claimed Labour had been transformed under his leadership into a party that is once again "fit to serve our country" and was now the party of "sound money".

But he also warned his party they had to show discipline in the two years before the next general election.

The main policy announcement was a plan to create a publicly owned renewable energy firm the party hopes will help deliver British jobs and achieve their aim of carbon-free electricity by 2030.

Sir Keir also announced:

*  A new 70% home ownership target if Labour wins power

*  Plans to control immigration using a points-based system

*  Proposals to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder with a new mortgage guarantee scheme

In his speech, Sir Keir spoke about his own working class background, which he said had given him an "impatience" to bring about the change he said the country was "crying out" for.

And he sought to answer criticism that he had not set out a vision for what he would do with power.

After the first term of a Starmer government, he claimed the cost of living crisis will have been defeated, the economy would be stable again and the NHS "back in good health".

The speech came on the third day of the Labour conference in Liverpool.

The party's annual gathering has not been riven by the divisions evident in the years when Jeremy Corbyn was leader.

In his speech, Sir Keir also spoke about Brexit at greater length than he has in the past, saying: "It's no secret I voted Remain - as the prime minister did."

But he accused PM Liz Truss of letting both Leave and Remain voters down, and promised that Labour would "make Brexit work".

The Labour leader also took aim at the Scottish National Party, saying: "Scotland's success in the UK is met with gritted teeth, seen as a roadblock to independence, and so, they stand in the way."

To cheers from delegates in the hall, he said: "We can't work with them. We won't work with them. No deal under any circumstances."

There was no mention of the Liberal Democrats in his speech.

He said Labour will beat the Conservatives at the next election, because the party has "fairness" and "economic reason" on its side, he said.

"If they want to fight us on redistribution, if they want to fight us on workers' rights, if they want to tell us working people don't come first, we'll take them on - and we will win."

A Conservative Party spokesman said Sir Keir had delivered "yet another details light speech full of vacuous slogans, rehashed phrases and empty promises".


Sir Keir Starmer on Tory tax cuts: "Don’t forget, don’t forgive"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
China Lifts Sanctions on British MPs and Peers After Starmer Xi Talks in Beijing
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair to Reorient U.S. Monetary Policy Toward Pro-Growth Interest Rates
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
Putin’s Four-Year Ukraine Invasion Cost: Russia’s Mass Casualty Attrition and the Donbas Security-Guarantee Tradeoff
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
Kim Kardashian Admits Faking Paparazzi Visit to Britney Spears for Fame in Early 2000s
UPS to Cut 30,000 More Jobs by 2026 Amid Shift to High-Margin Deliveries
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
×