Starmer says “fighting crime is a Labour cause” as he sets out second ‘mission’

Keir Starmer has declared that “fighting crime is a Labour cause” in a speech setting out the party’s plan to tackle crime, including pledges to halve levels of violence against women and girls and halve incidents of knife crime.

Outlining the second of Labour’s national ‘missions‘ that will form the basis of the party’s next manifesto, the Labour leader today attacked the government’s record on crime, accusing ministers of “complacency on another level”.

Starmer declared that the government has “failed” the police service and noted the “pernicious effect” of austerity on policing – as highlighted by Baroness Louise Casey in her damning report into the Met, published earlier this week, which concluded that there is “institutional racism, sexism and homophobia” within the force.

The Labour leader said: “Whatever the crime: anti-social behaviour, hate crime, serious violence, it’s always working people who pay the heaviest price.

“Working class communities who have to live under its shadow. That’s why tackling crime – law and order – will always be so important for my Labour Party. Fighting crime is a Labour cause.”

He continued: “I won’t stop until working people feel protected. This is our mission, Labour will make Britain’s streets safe. And we will do so, as with all our missions, by bringing people together with purpose and intent, by embracing the challenge that comes with clear accountability and setting out four clear, measurable goals.”

The Labour leader reiterated the pledge he made on Tuesday, following the release of Casey’s report, that Labour in government will restore confidence in every police force “to its highest ever level”.

He said the party would also halve incidents of knife crime, “reverse the collapse” in the proportion of crime solved and halve the levels of violence against women and girls, “by solving more crime” and “by reducing the number of victims who drop out of the system”.

On raising confidence in the police, the Labour leader argued that the actions of the Met uncovered by Casey’s report “have tarnished the reputation of policing everywhere”, declaring: “Our policing by consent model – a precious model – is now hanging by a thread.”

He told attendees: “The next Labour government will modernise British policing. We will raise standards, overhaul training, modernise misconduct and vetting procedures, and we will root out institutional discrimination wherever we find it.”

Labour has previously set out parts of its plan to reform policing, including through the introduction of a new ‘neighbourhood policing guarantee’, imposing new statutory responsibilities on forces to “protect and deliver neighbourhood policing”.

In a speech to the Institute for Government in February, Yvette Cooper said neighbourhood policing would be “at the heart” of the party’s plans, reiterating her pledge at conference that the party would put 13,000 additional police and police community support officers into community teams.

The Shadow Home Secretary also outlined plans for “new mandatory requirements on vetting, standards, training and misconduct”, which she said would be underpinned by new legislation.

In her speech to conference in September, Cooper said Labour would introduce new mandatory rules and safeguards on the strip searching of children and put domestic abuse experts into 999 control rooms in every police force to deliver specialist support to victims.

She said Labour would bring in a new law to “crack down on criminals who lure young people into violence” and set out a plan to support young people at risk, involving mental health professionals, safer schools officers and mentors.

In his speech today, Starmer highlighted the role of the internet in crime, particularly in knife crime, telling attendees: “You can’t fight behaviour that is learned online, spread online, glorified online, armed only with the tools of the past.”

He said: “Take knife crime. We know so much of this is about prevention, about pulling young boys back before they get in too deep. It’s about good youth work, neighbourhood policing, mental health support – in every school. We’ll do all that.

“It’s about smart legislation as well. About making the criminal exploitation of children illegal and using that to target the county line gangs who exploit kids to do their dirty work.

“But it’s also about standing up to the Big Tech companies. Seriously – how can we ignore the fact a child can go onto the internet and buy a machete as easily as a football? It’s exactly the same thing with the social media algorithms that bombard young minds with misogyny.”

“My message to the Big Tech companies is this: the free ride is over. If you make money from the sale of weapons, or the radicalisation of people online, then we will find ways to make you accountable. You wouldn’t get away with it on the streets, and you won’t get away with it online,” the Labour leader added.