Keir Starmer MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Today we are investing £15.6 billion in the transport infrastructure of the north and of the midlands. We are decisively turning the page on a failed economic model of low investment, and we are backing the talent and prospects of the whole country. Over the coming weeks we will set out plans for further investment and renewal. Our strategic defence review shows that this Government will never gamble with our national security. Through the biggest sustained funding increase since the cold war, we will transform our defence, strengthen our nation and invest in jobs and industry across the United Kingdom. This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The only advice— [ Interruption. ] She gets up on a Wednesday morning, scrolls through social media and never does any of the detail. We are the only country in the world that is not paying the 50% tax on steel, and we are working on the rest. That will be coming down. She— [ Interruption. ] We are working to bring it down to zero; that is going to happen. [ Interruption. ]

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I welcome the hon. Lady to her place. I am not going to follow her down that line, but now she is in Parliament and safely in her place, perhaps she could tell her new party leader that his latest plan to bet £80 billion of unfunded tax cuts with no idea how he is going to pay for them is Liz Truss all over again—although, considering that I think the hon. Lady was a Conservative member when Liz Truss was leader, she probably will not.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I give the right hon. Gentleman my assurance, because this is a very important issue, that we are working at pace with our allies on that very issue, to take whatever measures we can to get that humanitarian aid in. We have been doing that intensively over recent weeks and I give him my assurance that we will continue to do that, because that aid needs to get in at speed and at volume, and he is absolutely right about that.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  May I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue so powerfully and for everything that she is doing on it? The case she has outlined is utterly shameful, and far too many victims are waiting too long for justice. We are delivering a record number of sitting days and reviewing criminal courts to speed up the hearing of these cases, and we have a mission to halve violence against women and girls. My hon. Friend talks about the prison system. The Conservatives left the prison system on the brink of collapse and routinely operating at 99% of capacity, because in 14 long years they added just 500 extra places. We will deliver 14,000 new prison places so that the public are protected from these vile offenders.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to how my hon. Friend is bringing people together to deliver better care in the community that meets the needs of his constituents. The proposals for the health campus will be open to public consultation. I urge the whole community to input into that, to ensure the strongest investment case is put forward. I am pleased that waiting lists in his local trust have fallen by a fifth since March 2024, because of the investment that we have put into the NHS. That, of course, was opposed by the parties on the Opposition Benches.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  We announced £502 million to support local authorities to manage the changes in NICs. We have put in £3.7 billion in additional funding for social care, doubled the disabled facilities grant and introducing the first ever fair pay agreement for professional carers, including minimum standards for pay. I gently say to the hon. Member that her party opposed the Budget that provides the money for the funding. They cannot keep asking for more spending and oppose a Budget that raises the money.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for raising this case and I am deeply sorry to hear about Molly’s situation. We are improving the lives of those that need it. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has just said to me that she will look into the case, so if the hon. Lady will provide the details, I will ensure that it gets proper attention so that we can deal with the particular problems she has raised. I am grateful to her, as I am sure Molly is, for raising this and I hope that we can now take the action that is necessary.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Well, I am glad to see the right hon. Lady is catching up with what happened two weeks ago. At the Budget, we took the right decision to stabilise the economy because of the £22 billion black hole that the Conservatives left. We took the right decisions and the growth figures are up, interest rates have been cut, and we have free trade deals. So we will look again, as I said two weeks ago, at the eligibility for winter fuel and of course we will set out how we pay for it, but because we have stabilised the economy, we on this side are committed to the triple lock, and that increased pensions by over £400 this April. The Conservatives say the triple lock is unsustainable. I think her position is that she wants to means-test it.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting this issue, because the Conservatives left our flood defences in the worst state on record. It is prisons, it is the NHS, it is the economy, it is flooding—every single thing they touched, they broke. We are investing £2.65 billion to build and maintain flood defences, and that means 52,000 more properties will be protected by March of next year.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member is absolutely right to raise this matter. Antisocial behaviour massively impacts on individuals and their communities, and that is why we are introducing 13,000 new neighbourhood police and giving them better powers—respect orders—so they can actually deal with what they see on the streets effectively. It is very important that we take this seriously.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a great champion of how amateur boxing gyms can transform both physical and mental health, as well as confidence, in young people. The time given by selfless volunteers is inspiring, and we should thank them for it. England Boxing is investing £9 million in the sport and GB Boxing will also receive more than £12 million during the next Olympic games cycle, and I know that my hon. Friend will be looking forward to Liverpool hosting the inaugural world boxing championships in September.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. At a time of global conflict, it is staggering that the SNP policy is to block an £11 million investment for a new national welding centre on the Clyde. I was there earlier this week and saw the huge potential for apprenticeships, for job opportunities, and for young people. [ Interruption. ] I support it—the SNP blocks it. In England, we are backing 120,000 more apprenticeships with £3 billion of funding as part of our plan for change, but despite the highest funding settlement in the history of devolution, the SNP is cutting college budgets and blocking opportunities. It has no plan for Scotland’s future.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I have said that we are strongly opposed to, and appalled by, Israel’s recent actions. We have been absolutely clear in condemning them and calling them out, whether that is the expansion of military operations, settler violence, or the dreadful blocking of aid—it is completely unacceptable. We must see a ceasefire, hostages must be released, and there must be aid into Gaza. However, the hon. Gentleman talks about peace and security. As I understand it, at this moment of global instability as we go into a new era, what does his party want to do? It wants to get rid of the nuclear deterrent—the single most important capability that we have to keep the UK safe—harming the industry and harming the country.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  We took the right decisions at the Budget because we needed to stabilise the economy. The right hon. Lady needs to apologise for the fact that the Conservatives left the economy in a terrible state, with a mini-Budget that blew up the economy, and we were left with a £22 billion black hole. When she gets up, perhaps she should apologise for that.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I am going to look in my folder because here I have the quote that the right hon. Lady said on Sky News— [ Interruption. ] I will read it, thank you. [ Laughter. ] It is what the Leader of the Opposition said—it is worth listening to. She said: “Israel is fighting a proxy war on behalf of the UK, just like Ukraine is on behalf of Western Europe against Russia.” Well, that was certainly noticed in the Russian embassy because they put out a statement saying that the Leader of the Opposition has “finally called a spade a spade”. It said: “Ukraine is indeed fighting a proxy war against Russia on behalf of Western interests”. It went on to say: “The illegitimate Kyiv regime, created, financed and armed by the West, has been at it since 2014.” So they endorsed— [ Interruption. ] They want the detail; I have given the quote. That is what Russia said in response. She asked me what I believe in. I believe in standing by Ukraine and calling out Russia as the aggressor.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I believe profoundly in driving down poverty and child poverty. That is why we will put a strategy in place. But the right hon. Lady talks about heads spinning. There is only one leader who been praised this week by the Russian embassy. If she carries on echoing Kremlin talking points like this, Reform will be sending her an application form for membership.

• 4 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  I remind myself that the Conservatives left the NHS on its knees: the last Labour Government brought waiting lists down to record lows, and they drove them up to record highs; the last Labour Government had the highest possible confidence in the NHS, and they dragged it down to the lowest ever level. Because of the money that we are putting in, we have done 3 million extra appointments in the first year of a Labour Government—that is the difference that Labour makes in power.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady’s experience is deeply concerning, and I know it must have affected her. I think she was hoping to see, and later saw, her grandchild, but it must have impacted on her, and it is deeply concerning—we need to recognise that. Ministers, including the Foreign Secretary, have raised it on numerous occasions with their counterparts both in China and Hong Kong. Preventing UK citizens, including Members of Parliament, from entering Hong Kong without justification or for simply expressing their views is completely unacceptable. It will only undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation and the relationship we have with it, and so we will continue to raise it.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  On behalf of the whole House, I welcome Teddy. It is incredible that he has done so much already, and he is in the Gallery today. Many of us struggle for a whole lifetime to make an impact on Government policy, but Teddy is already having an impact aged six. I will make sure that he gets to speak to the relevant Minister.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  It was the previous Government who lost control of immigration; they had record numbers for net migration, and lost control of the borders. We are bringing forward legislation to give law enforcement the greatest possible powers. What are the Conservatives doing? They are voting against it.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Lady talks of the Conservatives’ record. There was the disastrous Liz Truss mini-Budget; inflation was through the roof; there was a £22 billion black hole; living standards were at an all-time low; energy prices went through the roof; and mortgages went through the roof. We are taking measures to bring prices down. The EU deal will bring prices down; that is why supermarkets have welcomed it. What does she do? She opposes measures to bring prices down.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  We all know that the economy was left in an absolute mess by the Tories. We had to stabilise the economy with tough decisions, but they were the right decisions. Because of them, the economy is beginning to improve: there were those growth figures last year—we had the highest growth in the G7; there were four interest rate cuts in a row; and there have been three trade deals. However, I recognise that people are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis, including pensioners, and as the economy improves, we want to make sure that people feel those improvements each day as their lives go forward. That is why we want to ensure that more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments as we go forward. As you would expect, Mr Speaker, we will make only the decisions that we can afford, and that is why we will look at that as part of a fiscal event.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  What the right hon. Lady forgot to say was that inflation rose to more than 11% on the Conservatives’ watch, and she did not say a word. I am confident that those numbers will come down; the Bank of England is confident that they will come down, too, which is why we have seen four interest rate cuts in a row. I notice that the right hon. Lady cannot resist grabbing any opportunity to talk the country down. She does not mention the growth figures, the interest rate figures, the record investment, wages being up more than prices, the 200,000 jobs created or the three trade deals. The reason is that the Conservatives have not learned and they have not changed. As George Osborne said, the Leader of the Opposition does not have a credible economic plan.

• 21 May 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  What we contribute into a pot is parts for fighter jets, and if we were to stop that, they could not be used by other countries in other conflicts, including those in which we are involved— [ Interruption. ] The hon. Member does not know the detail at all. They are not sold directly. They go into a pot. If we were to stop that, they would not then be available to others around the world who desperately need them in the conflicts they are engaged in, and that is why we will not do it.