Starmer eyes decade of Labour rule as he vows to ‘heal’ Britain

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer will set his sights on at least two terms in power as he vows to “heal” Britain after 13 years of Conservative party rule “ruined” the country. With critics suggesting Labour has benefited from anger at the Tories rather than a desire to see Sir Keir in No 10, aides said his speech to the conference in Liverpool would answer the question: “Why Labour?” A Labour government would be “totally focused on the interests of working people”, he will promise that easing the financial burden on hard-pressed families would mean “getting our future back”. In a sign that he will resist further tax rises while people’s living standards are squeezed, Sir Keir will say: “We should never forget that politics should tread lightly on peoples’ lives, that our job is to shoulder the burden for working people – carry the load, not add to it.” In an attempt to spark some optimism about the prospect of a Labour government, Sir Keir will tell the Labour faithful: “People are looking to us because they want our wounds to heal and we are the healers.” A Labour victory would give the chance to “turn our backs on never-ending Tory decline with a decade of national renewal” and give the British people the “government they deserve”. He will add: “That’s what getting our future back really means.” open image in gallery Keir Starmer and Deputy leader Angela Rayner at Labour conference Following shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech setting out plans to modernise Britain by reforming its “antiquated” planning system so new infrastructure gets build, Sir Keir will contrast the approach with Rishi Sunak’s decision to axe the northern leg of HS2.