Labour plans to ensure UK has ‘highest sustained growth in G7’, says Keir Starmer – UK politics live

Key events

Starmer explains what Labour's plan for 'mission-driven government' means

The Labour party released extracts from Keir Starmer’s speech in advance. This is what he will say to explain why he thinks Labour’s “mission-driven government” approach will be different from what Britain has had before. He will say:

Each mission will be laser-targeted on the complex problems which drive our crises. The root causes that demand new thinking.

New solutions born in all parts of our country. New ways of harnessing the ingenuity that is all around us.

Each mission will come with clear, measurable outcomes …

Mission-driven government is a different way altogether.

Not state control or pure free markets, but a genuine partnership, sleeves rolled-up, working for the national interest. Not command and control, Whitehall knows best. But an approach that understands what national renewal means - change for all, from all …

The more I delve into these challenges, the more I can see things that are simply not working.

Things that could be sped up, joined up, given direction, made to work better. This is at the core of my politics. Government can prevent problems, as well as fix them. Can shape markets rather than serving them. Can lead a collective national effort on growth and innovation.

But without reforming the role of government - none of that will happen. Equally, I’m not concerned about whether investment or expertise comes from the public or private sector - I just want to get the job done. And I mean that - we have to get it done.

With missions comes greater stability and certainty - instead of a government chopping and changing all the time, blowing with the wind. The missions will be anchor points to show clearly the direction of travel.

Starmer says ensuring UK has 'highest sustained growth in G7' to be one of Labour's five new 'missions'

Good morning. Keir Starmer is going to give a major speech today setting out Labour’s five “missions” for government. “Missions” aren’t the same as 1997-style pledges that Tony Blair set out in the Labour pledge card. They are long-term aims, and Starmer will say this is part of his ambition to lead a “mission-driven government”. This is how Labour defines that.

Mission-driven government … is about serious plans, properly understanding the root cause of problems and working in partnership with business, trade unions, and civil society. A Labour government will draw on the best expertise, and learning from those on the ground in all parts of the country. “Without a serious plan, there will be no light at the end of a very long tunnel for the British people,” [Starmer will say.]

Here is my colleage Pippa Crerar’s overnight preview story.

Starmer has been giving interviews this morning and he has confirmed that one of the missions will be for the UK to have the highest sustained growth in the G7. He told BBC Breakfast:

The missions I’m going to outline are predominately to do with the economy and to have the highest sustained growth in the G7 — and sustained is the really important word in that.

But we also need to make sure the NHS is fit for the future, we need to make our streets safe, we need to make sure that we remove the barriers to opportunity for every child everywhere, and we want to be a green, clean superpower country.

So big missions, big ambitions, and I’m not ashamed to be ambitious for our country.

In January Rishi Sunak announced his own set of five pledges. One of them was to get the economy growing, and at his press conference Sunak said he wanted to achieve that pledge by the end of this year. Starmer says Sunak’s pledges are just “short-term fixes” and that Labour’s missions are for the next decade.

The UK has had a poor record on growth for many years, but until recently politicians did not highlight the issue very much. Liz Truss will be pleased that it is now a priority for both Starmer and Sunak. Promoting growth was her obsession during her 49-day premiership, but the mini-budget with which she tried to achieve this turned out to be a disaster.

I will post more from Starmer’s interviews shortly.

Here is the agenda for the day.

10.30am: Keir Starmer delivers his speech on Labour’s five missions in Manchester.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

12pm: Nicola Sturgeon takes first minister’s questions at Holyrood.

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