With his own approval rating faltering, Keir Starmer is set to blame the Conservatives for Britain’s dire economic straits
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will deliver a somber speech to the nation on Tuesday, warning people to prepare for “unpopular decisions” in the near future. Starmer is also expected to hold the previous Conservative government accountable for the current state of the country.
In his first major address since assuming office in July, Starmer will assert that his administration “inherited not just an economic black hole, but a societal black hole” from the Conservatives, according to prepared remarks shared with the British media.
“We have to take action and do things differently,” the remarks continue. “Part of that is being honest with people about the choices we face, and how tough this will be. Frankly, things will get worse before we get better.”
Starmer’s predecessors oversaw a historic decline in British living standards and a surge in energy costs and inflation, both of which skyrocketed after the UK severed ties with Russian fossil fuels in 2022. According to Starmer’s remarks, Labour “discovered a £22 billion black hole in the public finances” upon taking power, which will necessitate “unpopular decisions” – likely tax hikes in October’s budget – to address.
Starmer will also place much of the blame for a recent series of right-wing riots on the Conservatives, arguing that “14 years of populism and failure” fueled the unrest, and that the rioters “were betting on” avoiding jail time due to prison overcrowding.
However, Starmer’s proposed solutions to these issues have been met with lukewarm reception. His response to the riots – which resulted in over 200 people being sentenced, including for “harmful” online speech, and prisoners being released early to make space for the rioters – sparked criticism of “two-tier” policing, while only a minority of Britons support tax increases to resolve the country’s economic woes.
According to a recent Ipsos poll, the prime minister’s net approval rating has plummeted from plus seven to zero since the election, with 52% of Britons indicating that the country is headed “in the wrong direction.”
“When there is rot deep in the heart of a structure, you can’t just cover it up. You can’t tinker with it or rely on quick fixes. You have to overhaul the entire thing. Tackle it at the root. Even if it’s harder work and takes more time,” Starmer is expected to say. “Because otherwise what happens? The rot returns in all the same places. And it spreads. Worse than before.”
Ahead of the speech, Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller criticized the Labour leader for his government’s recent decision to reduce a winter fuel allowance for pensioners, and for granting his top donor unrestricted access to his office.
Starmer, Fuller said, is “squandering money whilst fabricating a financial black hole in an attempt to con the public into accepting tax rises, and literally leaving pensioners in the cold.”