The new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has now assumed office. After appointing his cabinet, the new Government must begin their work to enact change immediately. In his first speech as PM, Starmer stressed his goal to be a government of service. Labour won the General Election with only a 34% vote share. Winning over more of the public will take a lot of work.
Bart Smallman
Chamber’s Features WriterGetting the Economy Running
Significant change takes time. People know this, as does the Government. However, those suffering the effects of poverty or war in the Middle East may be less understanding of the need for steady timetable. It is vital that Labour enact a small level of change in the short-term. There are certain issues which require immediate, possibly temporary solutions.
Firstly, Labour must address the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. Any large-scale economic changes made by Labour will likely take longer for people to benefit from. The problem though, is that the people need economic help now, not in five years. After 14 years of Conservative Government, the working class are generally worse off. This has worsened recently due to the post-Covid recession, rising energy bills and the housing crisis.
One of Labour’s key economic policies is to make the minimum wage ‘a genuine living wage’. With the cost of living devastating low-income earners, this policy should be enacted as soon as possible by Labour. Increasing the minimum wage to an actual living wage would have a small but instant impact
Much of Labour’s plans for economic stability though, are longer term plans. To encourage short term stability Labour must do more. One suggestion could be to lower the energy price cap. In regard to the housing crisis, Labour have presented promising policies for the long term. Once again though, this crisis will rage on without some immediate intervention. An introduction of rent controls could aid this. There is also a campaign for council tax’s replacement with a fairer, proportional property tax.
This change would make housing far more affordable for both homeowners and renters, bringing in a flat rate of property tax of approximately 0.5%. Homeowners and renters would then pay a more proportionate amount of council tax. Not only would this help current homeowners, it would make housing more affordable for first-time buyers.
Gaza and Israel
Over the last nine months, Labour have faced pressure to address the war in Gaza. The war has already seen approximately 37,000 civilian deaths. A conservative estimate also suggested that 186,000 will be killed as a result of the conflict. This would total up to about 8% of the population in the Gaza strip. The impact of such a death toll would dwarf all prior deaths in the Israeli Palestinian conflict put together.
Many of those within Labour have criticised the slowness of the official party stance on the issue. The Government have already taken some steps towards a more critical stance on Israel. Keir Starmer has already urged Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire. Labour are also expected drop the UK’s bid to delay ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. However, whilst these efforts are likely to reduce criticism, Labour could go significantly further.
The supply of arms to Israel was a point of contention in the election which supposedly saw Labour lose traditional votes and constituencies. Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has vowed to review the legal advice provided to the last government which prompted them to continue to sell arms to Israel.
Labour’s manifesto also commits them to the recognition of Palestine as a state, although, as explained in a previous article, some party insiders have warned that a recognition could be delayed. These aforementioned actions could renew the wavering elements of Labour’s coalition, as well as put pressure on the Netenyahu cabinet to accept the UN’s ceasefire plan.
Final Thought
With a vote share smaller than expected, the intensification of war in Gaza and an economy likely to get worse before it gets better, Labour has its work cut out for it.
Despite this, Labour has a host of tools it can bring out to show the electorate that it is capable of governing the country better than its predecessors. By taking decisive action on these issues, Labour will be in a strong position going into next year.
This article was written by Chamber’s features writer, Bart Smallman. For more of Chamber UK’s analysis on the Labour Party’s future agenda, please click here.