Starmer says he has ‘clear mandate to govern for all four corners of UK’
Sir Keir Starmer said the landslide victory in the General Election has given Labour “a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom”.
Facing his first media grilling as Prime Minister on his first full day in Downing Street, he said he was “restless for change” but warned that changing the country “is not an overnight exercise”.
After sweeping to a historic victory at the polls, Sir Keir said his party had received “a mandate to do politics differently”.
“This will be a politics and a Government that is about delivery, is about service. Self-interest is yesterday’s politics.”
Mandate
Sir Keir also said: “We clearly on Thursday got a mandate from all four nations.
“For the first time in 20-plus years, we have a majority in England, in Scotland and in Wales.
“And that is a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom.”
He set out plans to travel on Sunday to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, before returning to England, during which time he would meet First Ministers and “establish a way of working across the United Kingdom that will be different and better to the way of working that we’ve had in recent years and to recognise the contributions of all four nations”.
Answering questions from journalists, Sir Keir said: “I am restless for change and I think and hope that what you’ve already seen demonstrates that.”
He pointed to the appointments of Sir Patrick Vallance and business chief James Timpson as evidence of his party’s commitment to change.
“The thing that’s changed already is the mindset of the Government,” the Prime Minister said when asked if he could offer one concrete promise to voters about delivery in the first 100 days.
“We have been planning for months to hit the ground running,” Sir Keir said, adding: “But look, it is not an overnight exercise changing the country.”
The news conference on Saturday came after he chaired the first meeting of the new Cabinet.
Standards
He said he had told his ministers “exactly what I expect of them in terms of standards, delivery, and the trust that the country has put in them”.
The Prime Minister said it had been a “moment in history” on Saturday morning as some of his top team received their privy seals, which was followed by a meeting in Number 10.
Sir Keir said: “At that meeting, I had the opportunity to set out to my Cabinet precisely what I expect of them in terms of standards, delivery and the trust that the country has put in them.”
He said they had also discussed “mission delivery, how we would put into action the plans that we had set out in our manifesto”.
Sir Keir will make his debut on the international stage as Britain’s premier when he flies to Washington DC for the Nato gathering next week, which is expected to include discussions on support for Ukraine.
He told the news conference: “It is for me to be absolutely clear that the first duty of my Government is security and defence, to make clear our unshakable support of Nato.
“And of course to reiterate, as I did to President Zelensky yesterday, the support that we will have in this country and with our allies towards Ukraine.”
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I’d like to remind Labour PM Keir Starmer that any mandate doesn’t give you carte blanche to interfere in areas devolved by aping Conservative disrespect of Wales and Senedd Cymru sovereignty by imposition.
“For the first time in 20-plus years, we have a majority in England, in Scotland and in Wales.
“And that is a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom.”
There’ll be few in Northern Ireland that will question that assumption
Or in Cornwall.
FM Gething – you’re up! Will you now push for Wales’ interests to be delivered by your Labour colleagues in Westminster, No.10 and No.11, or will you come back home with a Yes Sir, No Sir, three-bags-full Sir to-do list? Will you remind the Knight of the Realm that YOU rule the roost in Cymru on many many matters, or will you DEFER to his shining armour? As for Northern Ireland, Sir Keir doesn’t appear to be good at maths. Parties in favour of re-unification with the rest of Ireland are the majority, are they not? So where does he… Read more »
Well now we have a Westminster government who, along with the Senedd, have been lamenting the closure of the Tata Steel Works. They now have absolute power to stop it happening. Any guesses as to whether they will?
Anglocentric British exceptionalism
I’d say you’re ready to try a meaningful sentence – perchance form an argument.
Neilyn asked
“As for Northern Ireland, Sir Keir doesn’t appear to be good at maths. Parties in favour of re-unification with the rest of Ireland are the majority, are they not? So where does he think he gets his mandate from exactly?”
My answer
“Anglocentric British exceptionalism”
Preface the above with -From a mentality based on – to hopefully reveal a meaningful sentence that sums up my argument.
Agreed!
Starmer’s vote share is hardly better than the last GE for Labour. He is solely the beneficiary of a flawed voting system. Only 1 in 3 voter’s voted Labour and just 1 in 5 of those eligible to vote did. Hardly a ringing endorsement.
Only 1 in 5 of the UK electorate voted for Labour, having a failed FPTP voting system does not give a mandate over the 80% that did not vote Labour.
With this attitude he will accelerate the break up of UK, SNP and Sinn Fein will definitely challenge that, as will PC in Wales as for Labour in Wales they will roll over while he tickles their belly.
Yes Wales will be growing in members.
So, inspired by Wales’s example, the people of the UK have now elected a party that hates them even more than they think the conservatives do. Enjoy the next five years folks: no complaining when it goes wrong for you…and believe me, it will!
You post as if you are not actually here in Cymru. Where has Warwick Stanton gone, not posted for a while now, is that why you answer for his posts? Remember I questioned Warwicks child care figures, and you answered for him saying you didnt need to explain.
In 2019, across britain 10,269,051 people voted labour and lost!
In 2024, 9,712,011 people voted labour and won!
The UK is not a democracy!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_United_Kingdom_general_election
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_Kingdom_general_election
That’s because of a lower turnout to which the solution is surely to make voting compulsory
The key words being govern FOR!
We have high expectations, Mr Starmer.
Well said sir govern away, will you start with the NHS pump more money in to it but ask your mate Gething first he likes to believe he’s top dog in Wales.
The NHS is devolved, so Gething being first minister, he would be ” top dog” in Cymru.
That was my point.
Strange how right wing posters are now calling into question the percentage of votes received by Labour, as not fair, or unreprasentative, after years of Tory rule with just over 40% vote share, untill now they have been happy with the system, Thatcher ruled with 43% which means 57% were opposed, but, will of the people and all that. Torys are never accept the result, unless it goes in their favour, ref several elections confirming devolution, yet they refuse to accept this.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Tories will now consider the merits of PR
They re bound to. After all Farage is claiming that we need PR because his Re-form The Nazi Party failed to get that many seats despite its high number of voters.
This has massive implications for the next senedd election- chances are under the new voting system Labour and Plaid have brought in that Reform will end up probably the second biggest party. Sobering thought eh.
How about you use your “clear mandate” by acceding to Welsh requests for greater devolved powers for the Senedd, Mr. Starmer?