Labour will seek to “reimagine the role of government” as a partner to the private sector and take advantage of the opportunities of Brexit, Keir Starmer will say in a speech on the economy.
Setting out his blueprint for future growth, the Labour leader will name six principles for the economy under a Labour government, starting with valuing the role of private companies as a partner to the state.
He will also lay into Rishi Sunak saying the Conservatives have “introduced 15 tax rises, increasing taxes more than any other Chancellor in half a century”.
Speaking in Huddersfield on Thursday, Starmer will say that after 12 years of Conservative government, the “days of economic fatalism are over” as he seeks to inject a note of optimism about the future of the economy under a Labour government.
“With Labour, Britain will once again grow,” he will say. “And from the proceeds of that growth we will build a new economy and a new Britain, one based on security, prosperity and respect for all.”
The Labour leader will also stress his backing for British business saying: “Britain cannot rise to the great challenges of the day without the innovation of business.”
He will say: “A political party without a clear plan for making sure businesses are successful and growing … which doesn’t want them to do well and make a profit … has no hope of being a successful government.”
His comments will be seen as an attempt to draw a further line under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who was viewed with suspicion by many big business interests because of his support for nationalising some sectors.
Starmer’s support for the government partnering with companies is likely to dismay critics on the left of the party, while his focus on the opportunities of Brexit is likely to frustrate staunch remainers.
He received a sceptical response from Gaya Sriskanthan, co-chair of Momentum, the socialist group set up under Corbyn’s leadership. Sriskanthan said: “The public aren’t stupid. They know that pushing more growth, when growth benefits only those at the top, misses the mark.
“Fixing it requires taxing the richest, taking on corporate interests and bringing key industries into public ownership - all policies popular with the British public. The Keir Starmer of 2020 recognised this, and was elected leader by the Labour membership as a result. The Keir Starmer of 2022 should follow suit.”
His other focal points for the economy include: putting money back in people’s pockets; revitalising the places that once powered Britain; ending the era of insecure employment; and driving up productivity and wages.
Starmer has been touring the country in recent weeks as he seeks to turn the conversation on to the cost of living and improving people’s lives after drawing a dividing line with the Tories over the Partygate scandal.
The party’s strategy is for Starmer to keep his focus on issues such as tax and the cost of living to keep the heat on Tory divisions, as well as put Sunak in the spotlight given his ambitions to succeed Johnson as leader.
