Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour must not become “giddy” at the prospect of power as he warned against complacency on the eve of his first conference as party leader.
The party leader said winning a likely general election next year would require “go(ing) up another gear” to convince swing voters the Opposition can be trusted in government.
In an interview with the Observer, Sir Keir said: “Every year of my leadership, we’ve had to go up a level and up a level, and we’re going to have to go up a level at this conference.”
This means showing Britain the party is “businesslike” and “ready, with a plan that will work” to revive a sluggish economy and deliver its key pledges, he told the paper.
It comes as MPs, delegates and lobbyists gather this weekend for policy debate, rallies and networking at what could be Labour’s last conference before the election.
Sir Keir has arrived at the annual event buoyed by a sustained double-digit lead in the polls and a resounding by-election victory over the SNP in Scotland’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat.
But the party leadership is cautious not to appear overconfident, with his deputy Angela Rayner also insisting it was “certainly not taking anything for granted” despite the “seismic” win north of the border.
Labour pledged on Friday to double the number diagnostic scanners in hospitals and get tough on property developers as it sets out its stall on health and housing ahead of the five-day conference.
The party would seek to prevent firms from dodging their affordable housing obligations, known as section 106 rules, by introducing an expert unit to give councils and housing associations advice on negotiating with companies.
The unit would publish guidance that would effectively limit companies to challenging these requirements only if there were genuine barriers to building homes.
Homelessness charity Shelter welcomed the proposals as a “good start”, but said only a national programme “backed by serious investment” would tackle the housing crisis.
Meanwhile, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to double the number of CT and MRI scanners in hospitals as part of a bid to cut NHS waiting times.
Labour would funnel £171 million a year into a “fit for the future” fund for purchasing new equipment to help patients get diagnosed earlier, he said.
NHS Providers described the plan as a positive step, but warned its success would hinge on the details of its funding, calling for “clear allocation of resources, timelines and transparency”.
The British Medical Association welcomed the proposals, but urged Labour to also set out a plan for improving conditions for doctors to address the “key limiting factor” of staff shortages.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will take to the main stage on Monday to detail Labour’s plans for economic growth, before Sir Keir’s keynote address on Tuesday.
The gathering follows the Conservatives’ conference in Manchester, which was overshadowed by the fate of HS2.
Mr Sunak defied senior Tories and business leaders to scrap the rail line from Birmingham to Manchester, saying “the facts have changed” and the cost of the high-speed rail scheme had “more than doubled”.
Sir Keir has said Labour cannot commit to reversing the decision if it wins the next general election due to the “damage” done by the Government.
The Tories urged him to clarify his position on HS2, as well as his support for a raft of transport schemes announced by Mr Sunak in place of the cancelled leg.
Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands said: “We all know Keir Starmer won’t tell us his plans if he becomes prime minister because he’s afraid of losing votes, and he changes his position to whatever he thinks people want to hear.
Congratulations, @mgshanks, Labour’s new MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
This is a seismic result. Voters have sent a clear message: it is time for change.
Labour will deliver. https://t.co/ijp6sjipBp
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 6, 2023
“Our country faces an important choice: Rishi Sunak, who will make the hard but necessary long-term decisions to get the country on the right path for the future, or Sir Keir Starmer, who is just like the same old politicians that have come before – always focused on the short-term and lacking the backbone to make the big changes Britain needs.”
Mr Streeting in turn attacked what he claimed was a governing party appearing “in hock to cranks, crackpots and conspiracy theorists on the right” after the Tory conference saw a minister claim Labour was “relaxed about taxing meat” and another rail against “sinister” 15-minute cities.
“I think there will be many decent, mainstream longstanding Conservative supporters who looked in on the Conservative Party conference this week and wondered what on earth happened to the party of Churchill,” he told the Times.
