Our country faces a big choice on Thursday. If the Tories win – and they could – Britain will remain stuck in their low-growth, high-tax, declining public services doom-loop. The unfunded splurge contained in their manifesto will unleash chaos into our economy once again. And they will feel entitled to continue serving themselves, rather than putting the needs of our country first.
Frankly, should they win another five years after everything they’ve put us through in this parliament, they would surely think they could get away with anything.
On the other hand, if you vote Labour on Thursday, the work of change begins. We will launch a new national mission to create wealth in every community. We’ll get to work on repairing our public services with an immediate cash injection, alongside urgent reforms. And we will break with recent years by always putting country before party.
This last point cannot be overstated. It is why, over the course of the past four-and-a-half years, we have had to be so uncompromising in changing the Labour party. But it is also why we have chosen to emphasise that we are fit to serve the country during this election campaign.
I am sure there are some people who would prefer a less sober message. But the Tories have kicked the hope out of people so thoroughly, to expect a chorus of optimism would be like scattering seeds on stony ground. I believe in hope, and believe we can inspire it again. Showing that it is a privilege to serve is a precondition for it – ground zero for restoring the bond of respect, between people and politics, that is necessary to take Britain forward.
This is about who we are as a country. After all, every great nation is held together by shared beliefs. They are not always exceptional or distinctive, but they are essential for a sense of collective purpose. The idea that politics should put country before party or self-interest is one of our most basic. It should barely need to be stated, but the last 14 years have done it immeasurable damage. If Labour is successful this week, national renewal will start with repairing it.
But we don’t seek service for its own sake. We seek it to renew the other great idea that holds this country together. Namely, that whoever you are, wherever you started in life, Britain will give you a fair chance to get on.
Now, I accept I may have mentioned my parents’ backgrounds once or twice in this campaign! But given the economic echo between the cost of living crisis hurting working people now and my experience of inflation in the 1970s, it is hard not to let your mind drift back. And, when it does, I am always struck by how much we took these two fundamental beliefs – politics as service and basic British fairness – for granted.
The knowledge that Britain would offer you a better future gave us hope. A hope that may not sound high-minded or particularly idealistic, but which working-class families like mine could build a life around.
It is hard to argue that this hope burns brightly in Britain at the moment. But be in no doubt – a vote for Labour this week, is a vote to relight the fire.
A vote for a Britain where growth comes from every community. Where everyone is treated with dignity and respect at work.
Where our NHS is not just back on its feet, but also facing the future, with the best technology in the hands of our already brilliant nurses and doctors.
Where we build the infrastructure our children need – new towns, new roads, new public services and 1.5 million new homes.
Where our town centres are revitalised because everyone feels safe on the streets they walk, and we’ve given our young people new things to do in their community.
And where we show leadership on the climate, harness the golden opportunity of clean British power and use it to cut energy bills for good.
It is a big to-do list – no question. And, if we are successful this week, we would have to do it in a world more volatile than it has been for many years. That’s why we have already started the hard work needed, so we are ready.
Not complacent by any stretch, but if we get this over the line on Thursday, on Friday we take our first steps. People know we can’t solve the country’s problems overnight, but they can also know we are primed to roll up our sleeves and make a start.
Yet to do that we would need a clear mandate. With problems this big, Britain needs strong government. Part of the story of Tory chaos is the attempt, under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, to govern without that mandate. It doesn’t work. If you want change, you have to vote for it.
That isn’t a line to get people out of their chairs on polling day. It’s a basic fact of the democratic process. The power belongs to you. And with millions of votes potentially still undecided, anything could happen.
So don’t risk letting an entitled Conservative party back in. Be part of the change Britain needs. Vote for Labour on 4 July.
It is time to rebuild our country.
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