How Keir Starmer can take back control

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":8.57,"text":"Governments do not usually need a reset after barely 12 weeks in office. "},{"start":12.911999999999999,"text":"But Britain’s Labour party went into what ought to have been a celebratory conference this week with its approval ratings, and consumer confidence, both tumbling thanks to political mis-steps and excessively gloomy messaging since its landslide victory in July. "},{"start":25.454,"text":"Speeches that were somewhat more upbeat and sure-footed from chancellor Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer may help to stabilise the government. "},{"start":32.959,"text":"More work lies ahead, however, to get its project back on the rails. "}],[{"start":37.72,"text":"The first step must be for Starmer to “take back control” — and bring to government the discipline that defined Labour’s election campaign. "},{"start":44.687,"text":"Vacancies in key Downing Street positions should be quickly filled. "},{"start":48.278999999999996,"text":"The prime minister needs a capable and trusted top team to begin serious policy delivery and make nimbler political judgments. "},{"start":54.747,"text":"Ministers may deem the recent furore over accepting “freebies” such as clothing a petty issue, especially after Tory-era excesses. "},{"start":61.939,"text":"But they underestimated the damage to public perceptions. "}],[{"start":65.47,"text":"A second priority is to hone the communications strategy. "},{"start":68.899,"text":"Two years after Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, and given historical market mistrust of Labour, the government has to pursue its commitment to fiscal discipline. "},{"start":77.242,"text":"But it should also avoid an undue pessimism that unsettles businesses, investors and households. "},{"start":82.584,"text":"The chancellor’s hint this week that she would tweak the government’s fiscal rules to allow higher capital expenditure was a welcome leavening of the message. "}],[{"start":90.13,"text":"The prime minister’s vow, meanwhile, to be honest about the difficult trade-offs of governing was in many ways refreshing after years of Tory “cakeism”. "},{"start":98.322,"text":"A readiness to make unpopular decisions rather than offer deceptive but easy answers is a counter to rightwing populists. "},{"start":104.652,"text":"But trade-offs should be chosen with care. "},{"start":106.957,"text":"Agreeing costly pay settlements with rail unions — even as the government ends payments to pensioners for winter fuel — will seem questionable to many. "}],[{"start":115.5,"text":"Starmer the forensic ex-prosecutor should not underestimate what Bill Clinton called the “vision thing”. "},{"start":121.017,"text":"A government whose electoral victory rested on an unusually narrow portion of the vote still has to communicate more clearly the essence of its purpose. "},{"start":128.222,"text":"The prime minister went some way with his talk of a future-facing NHS, secure borders, clean energy, and new homes, roads and schools. "},{"start":136.439,"text":"But he needs to pull the strands together into a Big Idea. "}],[{"start":140.59,"text":"When it comes to a key thread of his speech — the need for a more active government in Britain — Labour should tread carefully. "},{"start":146.94400000000002,"text":"The UK does require a government that ensures hospitals, prisons and housing are built, and trains made to work, and invests where necessary. "},{"start":154.749,"text":"But often this should be in conjunction with private business and funding. "},{"start":158.279,"text":"The goal must be to create the infrastructure for investment and entrepreneurialism to thrive so that growth can take off — but without overweening interference. "}],[{"start":166.38,"text":"Starmer’s Labour was embraced by many businesses in the run-up to the election. "},{"start":170.772,"text":"They appreciate stability and a growth agenda. "},{"start":173.389,"text":"But they need to see more commitment to the needs of private enterprise. "},{"start":176.757,"text":"A coming package on employee rights, which many companies fear will tilt the balance too far towards workers, will be a key test. "}],[{"start":184.72,"text":"An investment summit and Labour’s first Budget next month will provide further opportunities to reassure business. "},{"start":190.674,"text":"After again ruling out tax rises for “working people”, the government must avoid placing a stifling burden on wealth generators and scaring away investors. "},{"start":198.817,"text":"The woeful Conservative legacy means business, like the rest of the country, needs Labour’s project to succeed. "}],[{"start":204.97,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftmailbox.cn/album/173100-1727325914.mp3"}