KEIR Starmer has doubled down on his support for Brexit as he pledged to get behind the “take back control” slogan of the Leave campaign.
During a new year speech in east London, the Labour leader said he wanted to “embrace” the message as he admitted he sympathised with the “basic case” Leave voters made to him during the 2016 referendum while he campaigned for Remain.
He said the centrepiece of Labour’s first King’s speech if they win the election would be a “Take Back Control Bill” that he claimed would deliver a new approach to politics and democracy, as he insisted it was not “unreasonable” to recognise "the desire of communities to stand on their own two feet".
Starmer even said people who voted Yes to an independent Scotland in 2014 had not put forward an “unreasonable demand”.
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But instead of promising Scots the right to choose their own future after being dragged out of the EU against their will, he just pledged to devolve more powers to communities and modernise central government.
He said: “As I went round the country campaigning for Remain, I couldn’t disagree with the basic case so many Leave voters made to me.
“People who wanted public services they could rely on. High streets they could be proud of. Opportunities for the next generation. And all of this in their town or city.
“It was the same in the Scottish referendum in 2014. Many of those who voted Yes did so for similar reasons.
“And it’s not an unreasonable demand. It’s not unreasonable for us to recognise the desire of communities to stand on their own feet. It’s what 'take back control' meant. The control people want is control over their lives and their community.
“We will embrace the 'take back control' message but we will turn it from a slogan into a solution. From a catchphrase to change.
"We will spread control out of Westminster and devolve new powers over employment support, transport, energy, climate change, housing, culture, childcare provision and how councils run their finances. And we’ll give communities a new right to request powers which go beyond this.
“All this will be in a new 'Take Back Control' Bill – a centrepiece of our first King’s speech. A bill that will deliver on the demand for a new Britain. A new approach to politics and democracy. A new approach to growth and our economy.”
Despite showing his support for Brexit, he still claimed the “oven-ready” deal the Tories lay claim to isn't “actually working for anyone”.
Meanwhile, he insisted his party had changed under his leadership during the speech as he claimed “people know we care” and “they can now see a party that is both competent and compassionate.”
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At the same time, he accused Rishi Sunak and the Tory party of “sticking plaster politics” and slammed a “short-term mindset” at Westminster.
He hit out at the Prime Minister for being in denial about the problems facing the country as he promised to bring in a “new way of governing” and "deliver on Britain's call for change".
Sunak was accused of being light on detail in his own speech in Stratford, in which he promised to halve inflation, deal with NHS waiting lists, and tackle small boat crossings in the Channel.
Starmer, whose party would allegedly abolish and replace the House of Lords if it wins the next election and replace it with a regionally elected chamber, said that the UK needs a new approach to politics and the economy.
He added: “This year, let’s imagine instead, what we can achieve if we match the ambition of the British people.
“That’s why I say Britain needs a completely new way of governing.
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“You can’t overstate how much a short-term mindset dominates Westminster, and, from there, how it infects all the institutions which try, and fail, to run Britain from the centre.
“I call it sticking plaster politics. The long-term cure, that always eludes us.”
The new approach to governing, Starmer said, will be driven by “national missions”, which the party will set out in the coming weeks.
Flanked by party members, Starmer told the audience that his promises “should not be taken as code for Labour getting its big government chequebook out again”.
“Of course, investment is required – I can see the damage the Tories have done to our public services as plainly as anyone else,” he added.
“But we won’t be able to spend our way out of their mess.”
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