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Keir Starmer’s U-turn on Labour pledges criticised

28 July 2022284 views0

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was asked on Radio 4’s Today programme about the ‘ten pledges‘ on which he stood and used to run for leader in April 2020, namely:

Economic justice
Social justice
Climate justice
Promote peace and human rights
Common owenership
Defend migrants’ rights
Strengthen workers’ rights and trade unions
Radical devolution of power, wealth and opportunity
Equality
Effective opposition to the Tories

Today presenter Nick Robinson queried whether or not Starmer was abandoning his fifth pledge by refusing to back MPs picketing in solidarity with trade unions, as well as where he stood now on the nationalisation of rail, energy and water industries.

The fifth pledge in full states:

Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water; end outsourcing in our NHS, local government and justice system.

Starmer replied that, “A lot has happened in the last two years. We’ve been through Covid, we have debt on a scale that we’ve not seen for a long, long time, if ever before and we have to go into the next election, making choices… we have to say “We will do X because we can afford it but we might not be able to do Y” and to be open and transparent about it.”

Starmer was then asked, “There are things that you promised when you ran for leader that because of changed circumstances you are now not promising.”

He responded, “Yes, the the financial situation has changed. The debt situation has changed,” adding, “Let me just be clear on this, when it comes to rail obviously a large part of rail is already in public ownership and we would continue that. That’s a different case, all these sectors are slightly different.”

Starmer was promptly blasted by the media, with both left and right leaning publications accusing him lyings and hypocrisy – albeit with different intentions.