'Judge me by my actions' says Sir Keir Starmer as PM holds first cabinet meeting and axes Rwanda on second day in No.10
07/06/2024 01:54 PM
SIR Keir Starmer told the nation to "judge me on my actions not on words" as he kicked off the red dawn of Labour.
The newly-minted PM hailed the "moment in history" as he gathered his top team Labour's first Cabinet meeting in a generation.
Speaking at a press conference, he said our prisons and NHS are "broken" and vowed to put the government on a war footing to fix public services.
And adopting a new laid-back style, he told civil servants they can "Call me Keir" rather than Prime Minister.
He also hit back at claims he has won a "loveless landslide" because 80 per cent of Brits did not vote Labour – promising not to "turn our back" on anyone.
Speaking in No10's wood-panelled state dining room, Sir Keir said: "I reminded the entire Cabinet that we will be judged on actions, not on words.
"We clearly on Thursday got a mandate, from all four nations for the first time in 20-plus years.
“We have a majority in England, in Scotland and in Wales.
And that is a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom."
Sir Keir announced that he will kick off his premiership with a two-day tour of all four nations of the United Kingdom.
Attempting to draw a line in the sand with PMs who have gone before him, Sir Keir vowed to "do politics differently" and end sleaze and "tribalism".
He will hold meetings with regional mayors "regardless of the colour of their rosette", he said.
Putting his vow to transform Britain on a war footing, Sir Keir is setting up five mission delivery boards to deliver on each of Labour's key missions in government.
These are kickstart growth, make Britain a clean energy superpower, tackle crime, smash barriers to opportunity and improve the NHS.
Sir Keir will head each of these boards personally.
The new PM has come in for some stick for getting a "loveless landslide" after stats showed 80 per cent of Brits did not vote for his party despite them scoring one of the biggest majorities in 100 years.
This is because just 33.7 per cent of voters backed Labour and turnout was just shy of 60 per cent.
But Sir Keir tried to reassure anxious Brits who did not vote Labour that he will govern for them too.
He said: "We are a government of service to all people whether they voted for us or not.
“And I include within that people who voted Labour for the first time on Thursday.
“Because across the country in many places, people will have voted Labour for the first time…and I recognise that they put their trust and confidence in us.
“And we have to repay that so we hold them in our mind's eye.
“People who didn't vote for us need to know that we will serve and that we will not turn our back on people just because we don't think they voted for us.
“We will govern for the whole country."
He promised to "take the country forward and turn our back on tribal politics".
In a blistering takedown of the state of Britain's public services, Sir Keir said the NHS and our prison system are "broken".
And he promised to adopt "raw honesty" and take "tough decisions and take them early" to improve them.
But he denied this would mean hiking taxes.
Sir Keir, 61, is the first Labour leader to win an election since Tony Blair in 2005.
He and his wife Victoria are still deciding which flat they will move into with their two children in Downing Street.
Although they are expected to have No11 – which is bigger than the one above No10.
Asked how he is getting on finding his way around the rabbit warren of rooms in Downing Street, he said he is getting there.
The dad-of-two has promised his kids a dog – probably a German shepherd – on moving into Downing Street.
And in words that echo David Cameron, he said civil servants can call him Keir if they want.
Quizzed on what it feels like to be called "Prime Minister", he said: "I'm getting used to it.
“I'm very happy to be called Keir or Prime Minister."
Earlier, his Cabinet ministers had beamed as they skipped into No10 for their first meeting.
Sitting next to his deputy Angela Rayner who wore a red dress, Sir Keir said: "It was an honour and the privilege of my life to be invited by His Majesty the King to form a government, and to form the Labour government of 2024.
We have a huge amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work."
Smiling broadly, his top team burst into a round of applause for the PM.
The new PM continued his diplomatic blitz with calls to the leaders of India, Germany, France, Japan and Australia.
Sir Keir Starmer told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi he "stood ready" to conclude a free trade deal.
Talks between the two governments were put on ice as both countries faced elections this year.
But a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister said he looked forward to further deepening the strong and respectful relationship between both countries, and welcomed Prime Minister Modi's leadership on key global challenges, such as climate change and economic growth.
"Discussing the importance of the living bridge between the UK and India, and the 2030 roadmap, the leaders agreed there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology, and climate change, for the two countries to deepen cooperation on.
"Discussing the Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said he stood ready to conclude a deal that worked for both sides."
In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir discussed Ukraine and the Middle East, climate, artificial intelligence, migration and the economy.
Meanwhile, in a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "The Prime Minister said he believed there was opportunity to further deepen the defence and security ties between both countries, while also building greater economic cooperation."
Keir kills Rwanda on day two
By THOMAS GODFREY
The Rwanda immigration scheme was officially axed yesterday as Sir Keir Starmer vowed it was "dead and buried".
The new prime minister blasted the Tories' flagship policy, which would've sent illegal immigrants to the African state for processing, as a "gimmick" that "never acted as a deterrent".
Sir Keir repeatedly promised to scrap the scheme during the campaign despite ex-PM Rishi Sunak claiming it was a deterrent against thousands of migrants making small boat channel crossings.
But quizzed at a press conference yesterday, Sir Keir insisted: "The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started.
"It's never been a deterrent.
"Look at the numbers that have come over in the first six months of this year, there are record numbers.
"That is the problem that we are inheriting."
He went on: "It has never acted as a deterrent, almost the opposite.
"Because everybody has worked out particularly the gangs that run this, that the chance of ever going to Rwanda was so slim – less than 1% – that it was never a deterrent.
"The chances were of not going and not being processed and staying here therefore, being in paid for accommodation for a very, very long time.
"It's had the complete opposite effect. And I'm not prepared to continue with gimmicks that don't act as a deterrent."
The £300million scheme was launched by Boris Johnson in April 2022 and went through two years of bitter legal fights after being declared unlawful by the High Court.
We revealed the first migrant had voluntarily been removed to Rwanda with a £3,000 'golden goodbye' in April.
In all, just five asylum seekers were moved there under the scheme.
Reacting to the announcement the plan had been scrapped, Reform leader Nigel Farage said: "He said he would do it, at least he's kept a promise I suppose.
"Rwanda was never going to work.
"What Keir Starmer is proposing, which is, tackle the gangs, well, frankly, the last Government were doing that for the last few years – it's not going to work.
"As soon as we get a calm spell, they'll be crossing the English Channel in their thousands, and let's face it, Keir Starmer does not have a plan to deal with it."
Sir Keir to sign off on blood payments
By THOMAS GODFREY
VICTIMS of the infected blood scandal will get a £12billion payout, Sir Keir Starmer insisted.
The PM said he is happy to sign off on compensation to NHS patients given blood contaminated with HIV and hepatitis C between 1970 and 1991.
Estimates have put the total cost of payments to victims and their families at as much as £2million each.
Around 3,000 people have died after being given the infected plasma, with a report earlier this year finding doctors, the NHS, and successive governments had "repeatedly" failed victims.
Sir Keir added the campaign for justice was "very important" and led to "a belated but at least better outcome."
Rishi Sunak had also pledged to make the payments.
