We want to improve living standards ‘straight away’, says Starmer
The Prime Minister has said he wants to see living standards rise “straight away” as he attempts to sell his “plan for change” on Friday morning.
Sir Keir Starmer made improving living standards a key target as he outlined the “next phase” of his Government on Thursday, saying he wanted to see real household disposable income rise across the country by the next election.
But in an interview with BBC Breakfast, Sir Keir said he wanted to see improvements sooner than that, denying that things would get worse before they got better.
He said: “I want people to feel better off straight away – feel better off in the sense of more money in their pocket, feel better off because they’ve got a secure job that they know is guaranteed to give them the money they need.”
Pay rise
Adding that the Government had already given a pay rise to three million of the lowest-paid workers by increasing the minimum wage, Sir Keir said: “I want others to feel the difference as quickly as possible.”
Living standards flatlined over the course of the last Parliament, with real household disposable income rising by a record-low 0.3% per year – something Labour regards as a key factor behind the collapse in support for the Conservatives and a potential source of support for populist parties.
But although Sir Keir described his targets as “ambitious” on Thursday, the Resolution Foundation think tank pointed out the figures used to measure living standards – real household disposable income and GDP per capita – had risen in almost every Parliament since 1955.
Milestones
Mike Brewer, the think tank’s interim chief executive, said: “These new milestones are not very stretching. The Government will need to absolutely smash them if they are to truly end stagnation across Britain.”
Elsewhere on Friday, the Prime Minister said his six “milestones” would “inject ambition back into Britain”.
Writing in The Times, the Prime Minister vowed to face down “nimbys” to achieve one of this other targets – building 1.5 million homes and making 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects.
“Golden era”
Promising “a new golden era of building”, he wrote: “I know some councils have come out this week to challenge our plans for housing reform. I always knew there would be resistance to our planning reform.
“Let me say this — I won’t shy from this argument. In fact, I welcome it.
“Where there are blockers putting the brakes on, it’s a sign you are delivering real change.”
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You could have done that but you chose not to !
You are a bit thick Clark, lets face it, one mother and their kid is worth the same as another, but not to you…
Old people with chest complaints will die in their thousands this winter, you could have helped but you and your kin chose not to…
Lawyers !
The man is utterly out of his depth. This country will be an impoverished socialist hell-hole within 24 months maximum.
It isnt akways about Nimbyism! Planning Laws are already heavily biased towards wealthy Land owners and large private developments. The public have to fight tooth and nail to oppose inappropriate planning schemes. A good example is the application for a proposed housing development in Gowerton (ref: 2023/0253/OUT), which was eventually rejected by Councillors. More attention should be paid to ensuring empty properties are utilised!