On the eve of a general election in the UK, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for what his political opponents have repeatedly claimed he has “backtracked” and made a “U-turn” on numerous policies.
Starmer follows a centre-left political path similar to that of former Labor prime minister Sir Tony Blair, reflected in his overhaul of his reform agenda since becoming party leader in 2020.
The Labor leadership has shifted or reversed positions on a number of key policies as Starmer abandoned the “far-left” agenda of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Below are five core examples.
tax
Last week, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labor had “no plans for a wealth tax”, in a marked change of tone from previous statements by the Labor leadership.
In 2018, when she was not a shadow minister, Reeves called for a £20bn-a-year wealth tax. In 2021, she suggested that it would be better to “tax people who earn income through wealth such as stocks and rental properties”.
Meanwhile, Starmer has backed away from a pledge to “raise income tax for the top 5 per cent” he made in the Labor leadership campaign.
Labor does have some tax plans that will hit the rich. For example, Reeves is committed to reversing the government’s move in the March budget to scrap a £1m lifetime allowance for tax-free pension contributions.
Treasurer Andrew Griffiths accused Reeves of being “disingenuous” when he claimed Labor had no plans for a wealth tax when it proposed reinstating the lifetime allowance. “It’s another name for a wealth tax,” he said.
A Labor official said Reeves’ recent statement on the wealth tax applied to future fiscal decisions, adding: “We have no plans for any tax increases other than those we have already announced.”
university tuition
Starmer pledges as he campaigns for Labor leadership cancellation of tuition and “Ending the National Scandal of Rising Student Debt.”
But earlier this year he said he was reviewing the policy, which would cost £9.5bn a year, given the weak state of public finances.
In May, Starmer confirmed the shift, saying: “We may relinquish this commitment as we find ourselves in a different financial situation.
“But I don’t want that to be read as us tentatively accepting that the current system is fair or that it’s working. We’re looking at options for how to fund these costs.”
The National Union of Students said it was disappointed by the policy change and warned Labor could not take the student vote for granted.
“The current system is broken and money takes precedence over student welfare and education,” it added.
Nationalization of industry
Corbyn’s 2019 election manifesto vowed to bring the “rail, post, water and energy” industries into public ownership.
Starmer offered to “support shared ownership of rail, post, energy and water” in his bid to replace Corbyn.
But the Labor leader has since scaled back his pledge, with the party now only promising to nationalize the railways.
Contracts with rail operators to run different lines will gradually return to state control only after they expire.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigade Union, said Labor’s annual conference had repeatedly voted to fully reverse the “colossal privatization theft” under the previous Conservative government.
He added that the FBU would “support any attempt by the Labor conference to commit Keir Starmer’s government to returning privatized utilities to the public sector”.
Green Transformation Program
The green plan, Starmer’s most expensive policy to date, involves the Labor government borrowing £28bn a year to take steps to accelerate the UK’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The policy was set with interest rates near zero and in June, as borrowing costs rose sharply, Reeves scaled back his pledge, saying the annual figure of £28bn would not be reached until halfway through the Labor government’s first term.
Reeves also confirmed the policy must be in line with Labour’s fiscal rules, which say public debt must fall as a share of national income after five years.
Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace, said: “Rachel Reeves is right to mention the opportunity for green growth, but Labor is delaying confirming the necessary conditions for a new government to take office. The scale of investment may lead to throwing in the towel in the global competition. In green technology, the United States, China and the European Union are already far ahead.”
Brexit
Starmer, a key figure under Corbyn, backed a second referendum on EU membership during his tenure as shadow Brexit secretary.
Starmer relinquished the post following Labor’s crushing defeat at the 2019 general election.
He pledged on behalf of the party leadership to “defend free movement (of people) as we leave the EU”, a position he later backed away from.
Starmer ruled out returning Britain to the EU or the single market, but wanted to improve Britain’s trading arrangements with the bloc.
Mike Galsworthy, chairman of the UK’s anti-Brexit European campaign, said: “Starmer’s job now is to win the general election. If he wins, his job will change and he will have to deal with the consequences of Brexit. all trouble.
“As the new prime minister, he will not be able to properly carry out his new job under the constraints of the hard Brexit he has inherited.”
Labor has defended the way Starmer has revamped his reform agenda, including ditching some radical promises made during the leadership campaign.
Will Jennings, professor of political science at the University of Southampton, said Starmer was trying to present a “clear and credible” electoral package so that Labor would not be vulnerable to attack from the Conservatives.
“People on the left are understandably disappointed by the lack of ambition,” he added.
“But it’s like the US presidential model, where you have to appeal to your own voters in the primaries and then turn to the general voters in the election.”
Svlook
