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Sir Keir Starmer will seek to revitalize his ailing government on Thursday by setting out targets aimed at convincing disgruntled voters that he is making progress on their priorities and spurring action from Whitehall.
Starmer’s “plan for change” will include milestones such as raising living standards or creating safer streets.
But the upcoming announcement was branded an “urgent reset five months into the prime minister’s term” by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday.
Although Starmer will argue that the new milestones are aligned with the voters’ prioritiesLabor insiders say they are also taking direct aim at the dysfunctional Whitehall machine.
“At least 50 per cent of this is aimed at Whitehall,” said one Labor official. “If we don’t change the way things work, we will fail.”
Number 10 said Starmer wanted to “prompt the government machine to focus its resources on achieving the milestones it will set”.
So Followed “Plan for changes” was devised by Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, as a means of reassuring voters that the government is delivering. Starmer’s poll ratings have fainted since the party’s election victory on July 4.
McFadden is expected to make another major speech on public sector reform before Christmas, an intervention some government insiders are calling “part two” of Starmer’s reboot.
The talk will detail how the country will reform and evolve to meet the challenges, including using data and algorithms in a smarter way.
Starmer’s speech on Thursday also aims to clarify specific goals for voters, following a series of past initiatives that include the “five missions” promised in the party’s manifesto and the “six commitments” outlined in May.
Badenoch noted on Wednesday that Starmer’s “mission” to make Britain the fastest-growing economy in the G7 was rarely mentioned, prompting her to wonder if she had been sidelined.
Labor officials say its “milestone” to measure growth will instead focus on household living standards.
“We’re a bit lost,” said one Labor MP. “In the real world, people want to see results and don’t care about missions or milestones. It all feels like an internal exercise.”
Starmer’s milestones, including a promise of 13,000 extra neighborhood police officers, will also cover the economy, health, children’s school readiness and secure energy.
One Whitehall insider said they felt Starmer’s misstep put so much focus on “technocratic” aims and marked the speech as a major political moment. “It’s a tactical error. If you want to be judged on your delivery, it’s better to show than tell.”
Another Whitehall figure accused Labor of giving too little thought to civil service reform before taking office. “They understand the endgame — the outcome they want — but still not the ‘how.’
The person also warned that the government is putting too much emphasis on artificial intelligence reforming public services, while most trials currently involve artificial intelligence replacing only basic administrative tasks.
“There is no point in having a big silver bullet,” they added. “Many public services are about human interaction. But AI could still be useful in freeing up resources on the margins. Never mind improving things, even resting is a challenge for some services. So even a little efficiency is useful.”
John McTernan, Tony Blair’s political secretary in Number 10, said: “Voters have been demanding a change in the way Britain is governed since the Brexit referendum. Business as usual must stop if Labor is to deliver radical change if people are to feel that their services and their living standards have improved.”
