The British Labor Party is on the counterattack

Today all eyes are on Rishi Sunak’s first four-a-four debate with Liz Truss. Their positions on main issues have not yet been clarified, as only four days have passed since the announcement of this final duo, while their controversial statements during this time, make the turn of the debate even more interesting.

The Labor Party, although in the shadow of this battle, gave a strong presence today. Their leader Sir Keir Starmer appeared in Liverpool, north-west England, this morning to talk about the aspirations of the Labor Party if it wins the coveted leadership of the country.

Launching straight into the counter-attack, he criticized the two Tory candidates’ obsession with “identifying with Thatcher”, just hours before the much-anticipated BBC debate.

The focus of the speech is the economy and the party’s plans for its prosperity. The focus in this direction is not accidental. The economy has become a key battleground for the parties as the forecast for the UK is not the best. Inflation is already at a historic high of the last 40 years (9.4%), while economic activity is predicted to stagnate next year.

“Growth, growth, growth” says Labor

“The problem of the pandemic and the rising cost of living have shown how fragile the country’s economy is,” he said, adding that it doesn’t matter who the next Tory leader will be, as the path the economy takes is a problem of the party’s philosophy.

At the same time he repeated the words “growth, growth, growth” as the main motto of the Labor Party for the next national election to be held in early 2025, something similar to that of Tony Blair in 1996 “education, education, education”.

But although the Labor leader has a formidable lead due to the Tory party’s thrashing, he has been repeatedly criticized for not having a concrete plan, plan and vision to deliver on his campaign promises.

Polls are an example. The Labor Party, according to the latest YouGov opinion polls, is leading by 11 percentage points, but Keir Starmer’s popularity is at a particularly low 22%.

However, it is worth noting that in his speech today, he referred to the country’s zero-emissions goal and made it clear that the party’s economic plan will go hand in hand with environmental prosperity, something his opponents (Sunak-Tras) have avoided clarifying or committing to .

The speech in Liverpool took place exactly two months before the planned Labor party conference in the city, a stronghold of Labor and while tickets were sold out, resulting in requests for a larger venue.

Zoe Katzagiannakis, London

Source: Deutsche Welle