All the policies announced by Keir Starmer's top team at Labour Party Conference
Labour has announced a raft of policies at what could be its last party conference before a general election.
Keir Starmer pledged a "decade of national renewal" if he gets to No10, as his top team made pledges across the board including new funding for the NHS, tackling shoplifting and reforming the way kids learn maths. Speaking to a main hall packed with Shadow Ministers, Labour MPs and party members, he assured: “What is broken can be repaired, what is ruined can be rebuilt.”
In his keynote speech, the Labour leader announced plans for a huge housebuilding drive with new towns and suburbs springing up across the country. He vowed to "get Britain building again" with a plan to "fight the blockers who hold a veto over British aspiration".
With a general election expected next year and Labour enjoying double-digit poll leads, Mr Starmer warned that the "dangerous" Tories would "scorch the earth just to get at us". "This is what we have to fight: the Tory project to kick the hope out of this country. Drain the reservoirs of our belief," he said.
The Mirror has collated all the policies announced by Labour's top team, as they fight to give the country "hope" again.
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Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said private jets will be banned for ministers under LabourNHS funding through non-dom tax cash
Keir Starmer has said that an estimated £1.5billion gained from scrapping the non-dom tax status will be ploughed into the NHS.
During his keynote conference speech he said: "The non-dom tax status is a legal loophole that allows some of the richest people in the world to avoid paying tax in Britain. "That’s money we could invest in our NHS – that’s always been our priority. And right now, the biggest challenge is cutting waiting lists.
"So we will invest that money in boosting capacity. We will get the NHS working round the clock. And we will pay staff properly to do it."
He vowed that Labour will harness new technology like AI to "overhaul" healthcare, and said it will guarantee mental health treatment "when you need it". The Labour leader added that the 8am "scramble" for a GP appointment will be ended, along with dangerous waits for cancer diagnosis.
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Fresh plans for green power
Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband vowed that Britain will never be held to ransom by Vladimir Putin under the party's plans for green power.
If promised to introduce an Energy Independence Act to shield the country from external shocks such as last year's energy price surge. The senior Labour figure said the new law would also establish GB Energy - the party's plan for a publicly owned energy company run on clean power.
And it will put in place reforms needed to make the UK's electricity system fully based on clean power by 2030.
In his speech to the party's conference, Mr Miliband said: "In the 21st century, with Labour, Britain will be an energy superpower once again, exporting clean power to the world and controlling our destiny."
Crackdown on excessive use of private jets by ministers
Rachel Reeves said she would call time on unnecessary use of private jets by ministers to save taxpayers' cash.
Labour would instruct officials to enforce the ministerial code’s rules around when it is appropriate to take a non-scheduled flight. During his time in Downing Street so far, Rishi Sunak has used private jets and helicopters to zip around the UK more than any other Prime Minister.
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The PM has taken one flight every eight days on average. Many of the journeys have been incredibly short, such as when he used a helicopter to visit Southampton, which would have taken just over an hour by train. She said: "What is Rishi Sunak so scared of up there in his private jet - meeting a voter? Well, we will properly enforce the Ministerial Code on the use of private planes and save millions of pounds for taxpayers in the process."
Shadow Home Secretary said new measures will keep track of sex offenders (Getty Images)Covid corruption commissioner to lead war on waste
A powerful Covid corruption commissioner will be appointed to claw back billions of pounds of taxpayers' cash lost to fraud during the pandemic.
Rachel Reeves unveiled the plans as part of a vow to "wage a war against fraud, waste and inefficiency" to get better value for taxpayers'". The commissioner will examine COVID contracts line-by-line, with powers to instruct agencies to pursue money lost to fraud, waste and non-delivery during the pandemic.
An estimated £2.6 billion is could still be recovered, the party said. The Shadow Chancellor even echoed Margaret Thatcher by declaring: "We want our money back". Ms Reeves also vowed to slash Government use of costly consultants in half over the next Parliament.
Tackle scourge of shoplifting
Keir Starmer pledged to tackle the scourge of shoplifting as he vows to make Britain’s streets safe again.
The leader will end the scandal that has seen criminals escape proper punishment if goods are worth less than £200. And he will introduce a new law so those who attack shopkeepers face toughen sanctions.
Mr Starmer vowed to “give the country its future back”, insisting "Labour is the change this country needs" as he declared he is ready to begin his campaign to get to No10, saying: “Bring it on.”
The Mirror has been demanding urgent action to tackle the epidemic of shoplifting that is sweeping Britain's high streets. Our campaign to Clamp Down on Shoplifting has been calling for the reversal of Tory laws that downgraded the theft of goods worth less than £200 to a minor offence, which has meant that thieves get off with just a fine in the post.
Bold new child poverty strategy
In her first address to Labour's conference, the party's new welfare chief Liz Kendall committed to introducing a "bold" child poverty strategy.
She said the last Labour government lifted two million kids and pensioners out of poverty, adding: "Today, our ambition is undiminished. "We will deliver a bold, new, cross-government, child poverty strategy. And ensure decent state and second pensions for all". Full details of the strategy are yet to be announced.
Ms Kendall, who was appointed to the role during Mr Starmer's September reshuffle, also vowed to "reform" Universal Credit. She said the party would ensure "everyone who can work, does".
Better support for rape victims
Labour will stop rape victims being forced to give up unnecessary medical records or mobile phone data in investigations.
In an interview with the Mirror, Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood revealed plans for a legal advocate to be posted in every police area across England and Wales to ensure women know their rights.
She said she will put a stop to women feeling like “like their entire lifetime is put on trial”, with many currently being forced to give up their entire medical records, social services files, mobile phone data and sometimes school files. “A lot of women basically feel punished by the process,” Ms Mahmood said. “We have for rape victims, in particular, a very shameful situation. Something like 60% of rape victims drop out of their cases before they get to trial and, on average, it's taking about two years to get to trial."
Labour’s proposal has been fully-costed at £4.1million. It will be funded by redirecting existing Police and Crime Commissioner budgets, which are due to go up as a result of an increase in the Victim Surcharge. The fee, which is compensation paid by offenders when they are sentenced, is set to increase by 20%, raising an extra £20million by 2025.
Kids will learn maths through football and cooking
Children will be taught practical maths using football league tables, cookery recipes and holiday exchange rates under plans by Labour.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson wants young kids to learn numeracy through "real world" teaching to prepare them better for secondary school and adult life. Primary school teachers who don't specialise in maths will be given extra training to set pupils up with basic, practical maths skills under the blueprint.
In a speech to the party's annual conference on Wednesday, the Labour schools chief will confirm plans to shake up Rishi Sunak's push for all pupils to learn some form of maths to 18 by shifting the focus to primary school children. The expert review commissioned by the Prime Minister would deal with primary maths as a first priority and investigate the maths equivalent to phonics.
Ms Phillipson will say: "Maths is the language of the universe, the underpinning of our collective understanding. It cannot be left till the last years of school. It’s why I’m proud to tell you today, that we’ll tackle our chronic cultural problem with maths, by making sure it’s better taught at six, never mind sixteen."
Labour to end postcode lottery of car insurance premiums
Drivers will be protected from a postcode lottery of rip-off car insurance premiums under Labour. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh promised to ensure motorists are not paying over the odds to insure their vehicles based on where they live. She also vowed to tackle petrol stations who are failing to pass on the costs of reductions in the price of fuel to customers.
Car insurance costs have soared by an average of almost 50% over the past year, with premiums at their highest level since 2018. Ms Haigh said she would order the Competition and Markets Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority to launch formal investigations into the soaring prices and hidden costs adding to bills.
The watchdogs will also examine unfair postcode pricing amid concerns that those who live in less affluent areas or places with a more ethnically diverse population are paying more than they should for the premiums.
1.5 million homes to be built across brand new towns
Vowing to build new towns across the land, Mr Starmer pledged to construct 1.5 million homes over five years. He promised to release green belt land which he dubbed “grey belt”, alongside a revamp of planning rules.
Aides believe it will require shake-up of the existing system rather than new laws. First-time buyers will be helped to purchase properties on new housing developments with a government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme. Planning applications for “high-density housing on urban brownfield sites” will be fast-tracked. Mr Starmer insisted the party would not target fields and hills for development as he said the ambitious programme did not require “tearing up the green belt".
But he added: “Where there are clearly ridiculous uses of it - disused car parks, dreary wasteland - not a green belt, a grey belt, sometimes within a city's boundary - then this cannot be justified as a reason to hold our future back.” He vowed to get shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky and build the next generation of Labour new towns”.
Terrorist-style targeting of sex offenders
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that police will use tactics normally reserved for organised crime or terrorists to track sex offenders.
She told delegates that rape investigation units will be put in every police force, and domestic abuse specialists will be at every 999 call centre. Ms Cooper said: "Know this: If you abuse and hurt women, under a Labour Government the police will be after you." Labour's plans will see police forces in England and Wales devise a matrix of the most dangerous repeat rape, stalking and domestic abuse offenders in their areas.
Forces will be asked to rank high-risk suspects, who will be subjected to intense surveillance. Ms Cooper said: "Violence against women and girls is endemic in our society and under the Conservatives it has remained shamefully and persistently high. Enough is enough. Under Labour, the police will be asked to relentlessly pursue the perpetrators who pose the greatest risk to women, and use all the tools at their disposal to protect victims and get dangerous offenders off the streets.
"The police should be exhausting every opportunity for enforcement, prevention and protection - too often failure to do so has had devastating and fatal consequences. For far too long, dangerous criminals have been let off and victims have been let down. Labour will be unrelenting in its mission to halve incidents of violence against women and girls in a decade".
'Whistleblower' harassment status
The party announced over the weekend that Boris Johnson's ex-wife and leading barrister Marina Wheeler would advise Labour. The KQ has been appointed Labour's new "whistleblowing tsar" to help bring in new protections for women against abusive colleagues. It will mean women subjected to harassment in the workplace will be given "whistleblower" status to encourage them to come forward with complaints without fear of being penalised for speaking out.
Existing government guidance states that: "Personal grievances (for example bullying, harassment, discrimination) are not covered by whistleblowing law, unless your particular case is in the public interest." Labour would also seek to give common-law wives who live with their partners the same rights, including over property, as married women should their relationship end.
Labour to launch review into HS2 failures
Labour will launch an independent review into the failures of crisis-hit HS2 project and create a new unit to prevent further fiascos. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour set up a unit to make sure big-ticket projects were delivered on time and on budget after the bill for the high speed rail line rocketed - leading to Mr Sunak scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester section of the route.
"I will not tolerate taxpayers' money being treated with the disrespect we have seen over recent years," she said. "I will not turn a blind eye to dither, delay and incompetence. I will hold those responsible to account." Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh also confirmed plans for a "radical" transport plan which includes bringing the railways back into public ownership.
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