Words: Taran Rajmohan (he/him)
Keir Starmer has recently claimed that the UK will have the highest sustained growth in the G7, echoing a pledge made early last year before Labour took power. Yes, the economy requires serious and immediate attention, but is this target too much too soon? Even Labour MPs have called it unrealistic and practically impossible – so why even set it in the first place? Do we keep buying into overambitious politics, even with a trail littered with broken promises behind us? An unabating desire for serving up big, ambitious projects feels like a desperate attempt from our government to keep the public sweet. But instead of real, nourishing policies that could fill the gaps in our society, they offer up empty calories–flashy pledges that, in the end, leave us starving. Each new government dangles lofty vows in front of our faces but time and time again, these promises crumble to dust. Is Starmer’s G7 growth promise just the latest chapter in this saga of over-promising and under-delivering?
Take housing for example. In addition to the G7 claim, the new Labour government has pledged huge regulation of the Housing and the Construction Industry and promised 1.5 million new homes to be built. And if that sounds familiar, that’s because it is. This highly ambitious goal comes after previous Governments had aimed to build 300,000 new homes and failed. This isn’t the only contradiction in Labour’s proposed promises. Lest we forget, the party has sworn against increasing tax for working people. This means that the 3 largest revenue-generating taxes (national insurance, the basic, higher or additional rates on income tax, or VAT) will not be increased. On top of this, Labour needs at least £25 billion a year in tax raises to rebuild public services. These inconsistencies seem to make up the shaky foundation of modern UK governance.
This desire to steamroll bold plans is something we have become acutely accustomed to as a society. We all vividly remember the vision of the post-Brexit fantasy but are living in a Britain that feels quite its opposite. Big red buses graced our streets and etched themselves into our memory: ‘We send the EU £350 million a week – let’s fund our NHS instead’. In reality, the economic impact far outweighed the sum of money sent to Europe each week. People panic-voted for Brexit in a desperate attempt to save our most beloved institution, but the lush green gardens we were promised turned out to be nothing more than barren land. As a society, we care about our welfare system – but how are we meant to use our vote effectively if our government isn’t giving us the full truth?
So, instead of empty pledges for rapid economic growth, how could our government make better use of the power they’ve waited 14 years to wield? Well, they should be tackling the issues that have plagued Britain for years. Last year, the OECD ranked Britain 37th out of the 39 nations based on the number of children living in poverty. That’s 4.3 million – 30% of all UK children. Instead of this promise for huge rapid growth, Labour must focus on the necessary steps to eradicate poverty: reducing the cost of living, making efficient investments into the NHS, and focusing on making housing accessible.
When it comes down to it, Starmer’s claims for rapid growth doesn’t guarantee anything. Economic advancement is impossible without tangible plans. Perhaps Starmer’s G7 claim merely reflects an insatiable societal desire for economic progress. But is it so wrong to hope for economic progress when we have been let down so many times? People want to know that those in power can see what’s happening at their level; political satisfaction requires a deep understanding of sentiment between government and electorate. By and large, this understanding is not one of substance, and claims do not equal reality nor progress. In our search for true political satiation, we need real change – real investment into our welfare, our housing, our children, and our people.
https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/keir-starmer-speech-setting-out-labours-economic-mission-to-secure-the-highest-sustained-growth-in-the-g7/ – Labour Website
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-does-g7-do – CFR what does the g7 do
https://mooreks.co.uk/insights/can-the-labour-government-really-build-1-5-million-houses/ – labour govt 1.5 million houses
https://www.osborneclarke.com/insights/uk-general-election-2024-labours-manifesto-and-tax – Labour tax policy
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/10/labour-needs-25bn-a-year-in-tax-rises-to-rebuild-public-services-warns-ifs – Labour tax policy
https://www.jrf.org.uk/news/hardship-deepens-as-millions-find-the-poverty-line-further-out-of-reach#:~:text=Overall%2C poverty has barely moved,rising poverty levels in society. – Joseph Rowntree poverty trends
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/what-has-brexit-meant-for-the-nhs/ – £350 million post brexit fantasy
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/child-poverty-levels-uk-worst-among-worlds-richest-nations-unicef-report-finds-2023-12-06/ – child poverty levels in comparison with EU
