Rishi Sunak rages at Keir Starmer over Labour U-turn
While Sir Keir Starmer may be riding high in the polls, since being elected Labour leader in 2020 he’s remained consistent on only one topic: making u-turns. When polled, the majority of Britons still don’t know what the Labour leader stands for, in large part thanks to his constantly shifting views.
In 2021, the then-Tory chairwoman Amanda Milling accused him of “changing position more often than the Kama Sutra to chase headlines and play politics”.
Today Sir Keir is on the verge of making to major u-turns simultaneously, on both his party’s pledge to spend £28 billion a year on green investment, and on House of Lords reform.
Ahead of the announcements, we take a look back at 15 of Sir Keir’s biggest flip-flops from the last four years.
READ MORE: Andrew Neil ‘expecting’ Ed Miliband resignation ahead of Labour’s £28bn U-turn
Sir Keir has been accused of having “more positions than the karma sutra” (Image: Getty)
Defend free movement of people
What did he say?
With his sixth Labour leadership pledge, he promised to “defend free movement as we leave the EU. An immigration system based on compassion and dignity”.
What’s his current view?
He has now ruled out a return of free movement, saying it would be a “red line” if Labour gets into power
Renationalising rail, mail, energy and water
What did he say?
Pledge 5 from his leadership campaign promised: “Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water.”
What’s his current view?
In July 2022, Rachel Reeves said nationalisation plans had been ditched due to Labour’s ‘fiscal rules’.
She said: “it’s just not within our fiscal rules to be spending billions of pounds on nationalising things that just don’t stack up against fiscal rules.”
NHS outsourcing
What did he say?
In the same pledge that promised renationalisation of rail, mail, energy and water, Sir Keir also promised to “end outsourcing in our NHS”.
What’s his current view?
In August 2023 Sir Keir called for an increase in private sector involvement with the NHS.
Wes Streeting said: “The Conservatives are failing to make use of private sector capacity and patients are paying the price”.
Sir Keir’s come a long way since his days serving under Jeremy Corbyn (Image: Getty)
Tuition fees
What did he say?
Sir Keir pledged to “support the abolition of tuition fees”.
What’s his current view?
In May last year Sir Keir used his usual excuse of the “difficult financial situation” to announce he was dropping the key pledge.
“We are likely to move on from that commitment because we do find ourselves in a different financial situation,”
Universal Credit
What did he say?
Pledge 2 of his leadership campaign promised to “Abolish Universal Credit & end the Tories’ cruel sanctions regime”.
What’s his current view?
Last year, Labour’s then-welfare spokesman Jonathan Ashworth revealed his party “actually agree[s] with the concept behind Universal Credit.”
£28 Billion a year of green investment
What did he say?
At their 2021 party conference, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves announced: “An additional £28 billion of capital investment in our country’s green transition for each and every year of this decade… I will be Britain’s first green Chancellor.”
Sir Keir echoed the pledge just two days ago, saying the £28 billion sum is “desperately needed” for his party’s clean power mission.
What’s his current view?
Labour sources now say the pledge is “dead”, and Sir Keir is expected to announce the scrapping of the policy this afternoon.
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Most voters don’t know what Sir Keir stands for (Image: Getty)
House of Lords
What did he say?
Sir Keir pledged to “Abolish the House of Lords – replace it with an elected chamber of regions and nations”.
What’s his current view?
Last summer Labour’s shadow leader of the Commons Thangham Debbonaire said these plans will take a back seat, as reform “takes time and it drains energy”.
However the same day as Sir Keir moved to abolish his £28 billion green pledge, reports emerged the party is now set to abolish its House of Lords policy entirely, deeming the upper chamber to be “operating well”.
Increasing income tax for top 5 percent of earners
What did he say?
Sir Keir’s very first leadership pledge was “Increase income tax for the top five percent of earners”.
What’s his current view?
In June last year he told the Telegraph that his “driving principle” is to “lower taxes” and encourage economic growth.
Bankers’ bonus cap
What did he say?
In October last year, Rachel Reeves tore into the Conservatives for abolishing the cap on bankers’ bonuses. She said: “Today – in the midst of their cost of living crisis – the Conservatives are scrapping the cap on bankers’ bonuses. It tells you everything you need to know about this Government.”
What’s his current view?
Rachel Reeves has now told the BBC she would not reinstate the cap on bankers’ bonuses, saying she will “unashamedly champion” the industry.
HS2
What did he say?
Prior to being elected Labour leader, Sir Keir spent many years campaigning to scrap HS2 on the grounds it was disruptive for his constituents in North London.
Then when the Tories scrapped the project’s Manchester arm at their conference last year, Sir Keir slammed Rishi Sunak: “After 13 years of failure to grip this project, they’ve now cancelled it, millions of pounds wasted and lots of promises broken.”
What’s his current view?
In January 2024 he confirmed Labour will not revive the Birmingham to Manchester branch of HS2
Foreign aid
What did he say?
Sir Keir vocally opposed the cut in foreign aid from 0.7 to 0.5 percent when announced by Boris Johnson. He blasted then then-PM: “Every living prime minister thinks this is wrong. There is only one prime minister prepared to do this and he is sitting there.”
What’s his current view?
Labour’s shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has rowed in behind the Government’s policy, saying: “We will get Britain back on track to meet its commitment to the U.N.’s 0.7 percent development target as soon as possible as the fiscal situation allows.”
Brexit
What did he say?
Despite spending the entire 2017 parliament trying to reverse Brexit, come 2022 he appeared to have put the issue to bed, pledging not to re-open the debate or reverse the historic decision.
He said: “You cannot move forward or grow the country or deliver change or win back the trust of those who have lost faith in politics if you’re constantly focused on the arguments of the past.”
What’s his current view?
Labour now wants a “major re-write” of the Brexit deal, and Sir Keir has vowed to keep Britain aligned to the European Union.
He told the FT he owes it to his children to move Britain closer to the EU, pledging a closer trading relationship with Brussels.
Monarchy
What did he say?
In 2005 he was caught on camera saying: “I got made a Queen’s Counsel, which is odd since I often used to propose the abolition of the monarchy.”
What’s his current view?
Sir Keir has made clear he will uphold the institution of monarchy.
Child benefit cap
What did he say?
In 2020, Sir Keir pledged: “We must scrap the inhuman Work Capability Assessments and private provision of disability assessments (e.g. ATOS), scrap punitive sanctions, two-child limit and benefits cap.”
What’s his current view?
Asked by Laura Kuenssberg whether Labour would scrap it, Sir Keir said he is “not changing that policy”.
What is a woman?
What did he say?
Sir Keir said some women can have a penis, putting the number at around one in a thousand. In 2021 he also said it is “not right” to say that only women have a cervix.
What’s his current view?
In 2023 he U-turned, saying “a woman is an adult female, so let’s clear that one up”.
