Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria left Downing Street for the state opening of parliament on Wednesday, where the prime minister set out his second king's speech. The legislative agenda, comprising 34 bills and three draft ones, aims to 'make this country stronger and fairer,' according to Starmer. However, the package has drawn sharp criticism from within his own party, with Labour MPs accusing the government of incrementalism and failing to address the nation's pressing needs.
Critics Decry Lack of Ambition
'Most of this is incrementalism,' said one Labour MP. 'This sums up where we have gone wrong in the first two years in government. We talk about not going back to the status quo and then propose boosting growth by tweaking the wording of regulators' remits.' The sentiment reflects a growing discontent among Starmer's expanding cohort of critics, who argue that the programme falls short of what is needed to restore voter trust.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of the Institute for Public Policy Research, called for 'much bolder action on the cost of living, including rent controls, alongside longer-term reforms to growth, the state, and Britain's relationship with Europe.'
Key Bills and Their Implications
The king's speech includes measures previously announced but not yet enacted. An NHS modernisation bill will legislate the abolition of NHS England, as announced by Health Secretary Wes Streeting. An education bill will enact sweeping changes to special educational needs provision, while a courts bill aims to reduce trial by jury to address court backlogs. However, critics argue that some bills promise more than they deliver, reflecting Starmer's reluctance to embrace trade-offs.
The regulating for growth bill, for instance, aims to help Britain compete globally by giving regulators a mandate to promote growth. When asked whether this could compromise safety or environmental standards, Downing Street insisted it would not. 'It's not about deregulation,' the prime minister's spokesperson said. 'It's about giving greater weight to economic growth when making decisions, without weakening safety, environmental or consumer protections.'
Internal Party Divisions
The king's speech comes amid a major policy debate within the Labour Party, fuelled by potential leadership contenders. The Labour Growth Group, chaired by Chris Curtis—an ally of Wes Streeting who recently called for Starmer's resignation—advocates for a significant rise in capital gains tax to fund national insurance cuts, devolution allowing mayors to tax and spend, and structural government changes, including a new office of the prime minister.
Conversely, the soft-left Tribune group, which favours Andy Burnham as a replacement, wants greater public ownership of utilities, particularly Thames Water, and changes to fiscal rules to allow more borrowing after the next election. They also propose a new land and property tax to replace stamp duty.
For some critics, these proposals highlight the party's failure to conduct in-depth policy discussions before the election. 'We weren't discussing ideas for how we were to run the country, and we didn't develop a good enough or sufficient plan for government for when we got there,' Curtis told a Westminster event on Tuesday evening.
Starmer's Allies Defend Strategy
Some of Starmer's allies argue that the competing factions' ideas are not vastly different from the government's current approach. Sources say Starmer planned to launch his own 'office for the prime minister' this week, but was derailed by having to defend his job against a potential leadership coup.
Even his critics acknowledge the party should adhere to the manifesto on which he was elected, limiting scope for major changes to EU relations or borrowing rules. 'We need to stick to our manifesto,' said Miatta Fahnbulleh, a minister who resigned this week. 'It's more about how do we put the manifesto up in lights.'
Curtis was blunter in his assessment: 'What we need to hear from the prime minister is what are the barriers he needs to remove so change can happen quicker, and so that we can get our economy back into the place where it's growing and delivering for people. Because at this moment in time isn't.'
