UK’s Starmer rules out austerity as Labour conference opens

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to protect public services and ruled out austerity measures as Labour’s annual conference kicked off on Sunday, its first in 15 years as a government party.

The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes three months after Labour secured a runway general election victory over the Conservatives.

Under pressure on several fronts, Starmer will have to strike a balance between celebrating Labour’s long-awaited victory, defending his record, and not letting up on reminders of “difficult decisions” to come.

“If you look at the list of what we have already done in 11 weeks, then I would argue strongly that we’ve done far more than the last government did probably in the last 11 years,” Starmer said.

After months of doom and gloom about Britain’s economy and public health service, the conference could strike a more optimistic note.

Starmer added that while he had given the public a “raw and honest assessment” of the state of the country, he wanted to make clear the benefits voters could expect: “The hope, the changed Britain.”