Keir Starmer faced a grilling from the BBC’s Amol Rajan over whether voters could trust him after he was accused of junking the key pledges that made him Labour leader.
Starmer will today launch five “national missions” outlining what Labour would do if it wins the next election.
They include promises to deliver the fastest economic growth in the G7, make Britain’s streets safer and reduce health inequalities.
But on Radio 4′s Today programme this morning, Rajan accused the Labour leader of ditching some of the key promises he made during his campaign to replace Jeremy Corbyn three years ago.
In a testy exchange, Rajan said: “You said you want to restore trust in politics. Why should people trust you when you’ve abandoned so many of the pledges that you made in your leadership campaign?”
The Labour leader tried to talk about his new announcement, but Rajan interjected: “No, no, no — pledges you made when you ran to be Labour leader.
“The question I asked was about why people should trust you given you’ve abandoned so many of the pledges you made when you ran to be Labour leader in 2019?”
Starmer replied: “So far as the pledges when I ran for leader are concerned, they are important statements of value and principle.
“And they haven’t all been abandoned by any stretch of the imagination. But what I have had to do is adapt some of them to the circumstances we find ourselves in.
“Since I ran for leader, we’ve had Covid, we’ve had the conflict in Ukraine, we’ve had a government that has done huge damage to our economy. Everybody recognises that.”
Starmer said he had ditched his pledge for mass nationalisation of key industries such as rail, mail, energy and water because it would cost too much money.
He added: “Having done that analysis, I took the political choice that it would be better to have an energy price freeze paid for by a windfall tax on the oil and gas companies that made profits they didn’t expect to make.”
Starmer, who served under Corbyn as shadow Brexit secretary, also stood on a platform of the abolition of university tuition fees.
Since he has become Labour leader and polls have increasingly shown that his party is in course for power, Starmer has gradually moved away from some of those pledges.
In a recent interview with Laura Kuenssberg, he indicated that he would scrap his pledge to abolish tuition fees. He has also been accused of rowing back of the nationalisation pledge, after he said he would be “pragmatic” about the issue.
Challenged on why he made the leadership pledges if they were vulnerable to being changed, Starmer hit back: “Oh come on, are you telling me that you foresaw Covid? That you foresaw conflict in Ukraine? Are you telling me you foresaw the kamikaze mini budget of last year?
“Because you’ve got incredible foresight if you’re telling me that.”
Starmer will officially launch his five national missions at an event this morning, in which he will say the country needs a “serious plan” if it is fix some of the deep-seated problems it is facing.
The five missions are expected to be based around the economy, climate, crime, skills — with a particular focus on education and childcare — and the NHS.
His main economic goal will be that the UK will become the fastest-growing economy in the G7.
He is expected to say that his programme from government will be in contrast to the “sticking plaster politics” of Rishi Sunak, who outlined his own five priorities at the start of the new year.
The prime minister’s promises include halving inflation, stopping small boat crossing in the Channel, cut NHS waiting lists, grow the economy and bring down the national debt.
Starmer, who previously promised to end outsourcing in the NHS, will stress that he is ready to draw on investment and expertise from both the public and private sectors to “get the job done”.
Starmer will say that he wants a different approach to government that neither relies solely on state control or pure free markets, but instead resembles a “sleeves rolled-up” partnership working in the national interest.
“It means providing a clear set of priorities. A relentless focus on the things that matter most. An answer to the widespread call for someone that can ‘fix the fundamentals’. A long-term plan to unlock Britain’s pride and purpose.
“Without a serious plan, there will be no light at the end of a very long tunnel for the British people.”