Starmer sets out key targets

THE Prime Minister insisted he was sticking to his missions as he set out “ambitious” targets for Whitehall, despite claims he was “watering down” promises.

In a speech at Pinewood Studios, in Buckinghamshire, yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer sought to strike an optimistic note after a challenging five months in power for Labour, saying Britain was “broken, but not beyond repair” and could still “do great things”.

Arguing his Government had taken action to “fix the foundations”, Sir Keir set out six “milestones” that he said would allow the public to “hold our feet to the fire” on the missions he had set for himself before assuming power.

Chief among them was a promise to deliver higher living standards by the next General Election, saying growth must be “felt by everyone, everywhere”, while insisting his long-term aim was still to make the UK the fastest-growing G7 economy – but he declined to put a specific numerical target on living standards, saying only that he wanted to see real household disposable income and GDP per capita rise in every region of the country.

The Prime Minister also declined to provide a specific target for immigration, which did not feature as one of his “milestones”. He said he instead regarded controlling borders as a “foundational” part of governing, separate from the changes he needed to make.