Tories have spent the week giving speeches about what it means to be a conservative at the National Conservatism conference in Westminster’s Emmanuel Centre. However, another speech on conservatism could reveal more about what the next ten years will look like in UK politics. Over the weekend, much of the news agenda was centred on Saturday’s Conservative Democratic Organisation. On the same day, Keir Starmer gave a speech at the Progressive Britain Conference, which received far less attention.
The Labour leader was quick to dispute the conclusion of many pollsters that the local election results suggest the party would fall short of a majority:
‘Even by Westminster standards – the spin last week was quite something. But all that noise, it’s water off a duck’s back. It will never distract me from our ultimate goal.’
However, the main thrust of Starmer’s address – titled ‘Country first’ – related to conservatism and his party’s pitch for it. Starmer said that a Labour party would offer stability and if that sounded conservative it is no bad thing:
‘I’ve got to be honest – I don’t think the language of stability comes naturally to progressive politics. I think too often we dismiss it as conservative, as a barrier to change. Don’t mistake me – the very best of progressive politics is found in our determination to push Britain forward. A hunger, an ambition, that we can seize the opportunities of tomorrow and make them work for working people.
But this ambition must never become unmoored from working peoples’ need for stability, for order, security. We must understand that there are precious things – in our way of life, in our environment, in our communities – that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve, to pass on to future generations. If that sounds conservative, then let me tell you: I don’t care.’
Starmer went on to claim that ‘the Conservative party can no longer claim to be conservative as ‘it conserves nothing of value – not our rivers and seas, not our NHS or BBC, not our families, not our nation’. Now Starmer criticising Rishi Sunak’s government for domestic failures is clearly nothing new. But the speech is significant for two reasons.
Firstly, it shows that despite some internal criticism that he has moved the party too much to the right, and is overly focussed on winning back votes in the red wall, Starmer has been emboldened by the local elections. He plans to push this strategy further rather than retreat. Expect more from Labour aimed at showing the party is firmly in the centre-ground.
The speech also offers a clue as to how Starmer hopes to solve the riddle of pitching itself as the party for change come the next election, without scaring voters. Members of the shadow cabinet worry that Labour will have a tougher time at the election as they are trying to balance two potentially conflicting messages: that it’s time for a change, but that change is not risky. Starmer’s speech shows that they plan to do this by grounding the party’s mission as one of stability.
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