Streeting: NPF policy programme shows “no-one can say we don’t have any ideas”

Wes Streeting has said the draft Labour policy programme recently revealed by LabourList shows “no-one can say we don’t have any policy or ideas”.

But the Shadow Health Secretary warned in an interview with this publication that the party was “not going to be able to do everything we want in the first term”, and should “under-promise and over-deliver”.

He also suggested a successful first term could pave the way for as many as three more terms in government under Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Labour ‘bursting’ with policies

Last week a list of hundreds of Labour policies, contained in an 86-page draft document circulated among those involved in the National Policy Forum process and Constituency Labour Parties, was published on LabourList.

The document says the policies will “inform” Labour plans at the next election, but states it is “subject to draft and amendment” prior to Labour finalising its election manifesto.

Streeting told LabourList: “Thanks to the scurrilous efforts of LabourList to get their hands on an internal document, no-one can say we don’t have any policy or ideas. It’s absolutely bursting with it.

“This is a great opportunity actually for party members to have their say as well, because this is not the end of the process. We’ve got the National Policy Forum itself coming up. We’ve got conference coming up.

“And then we’ll have the Clause V meeting at the general election to actually agree a manifesto.  So there’s plenty of scope for people to have an input.”

Labour should ‘under-promise and over-deliver’

But Streeting urged members to not only get involved, but also “remember the prophetic words of Nye Bevan, ‘the language of priorities is the religion of socialism'”.

He added: We’re not going to be able to do everything we want in the first term. we’re not going to be able to afford to do everything we want to do in the first term.

“So what would we want to prioritise? What is the change that people really want us to deliver in the first term of the Labour government? Because remember, if we get the first term, right, we’ll get a second term, potentially even a third and under Keir’s leadership, why not go for the fourth?”

Asked if the manifesto would be significantly slimmed-down compared to the NPF draft policy programme, the Ilford North MP said: “We definitely need a manifesto that is clear and simple and believable. I think it’s got to inspire people to show that change is possible.

“It’s got to be change that they can believe in, and I think our mantra should be under-promise and over-deliver.”

‘Hope’ key to Labour’s next phase after ‘triumph of campaigning’ in locals

Streeting spoke to LabourList at a conference held by the think tank Progressive Britain this weekend, shortly after a speech by Starmer at the event in London.

Starmer had declared that Labour will go “further and deeper” than New Labour in changing party culture, making it the “natural vehicle” for working people. He also reiterated a new focus on offering “hope” to voters following last week’s local elections, rather than simply “reassurance”.

Streeting, who also appeared at a panel event talking about Labour’s NHS agenda, said it marked the “starting gun for the next phase of Keir’s leadership and project, which is about winning over the hearts of a country that has had the hope beaten out of it by 13 years of Conservative government”.

“People voted for change with Brexit and didn’t get it. They voted for change with Boris Johnson and didn’t get it. And we’ve got to persuade a whole country that change with Labour as possible.

“What Keir has captured is the kind of mood of the nation, and the sense of hopelessness and cynicism that people feel about politics. The next phase is about – having reassured people that the Labour party has changed and shown the Labour party has changed – giving people a real sense of hope and possibility about how a Labour government can change the country.”

He called last week’s local election results a “triumph of campaigning and organisation”, as well as policies.

Labour members turned out in “huge numbers” canvassing, including many London members helping beyond the capital, he said. He called it “probably the best campaign we’ve run for years”, but Labour is not yet at “the mountain top” even if it is now in sight, he added.

Left sometimes ‘underestimate’ need for security

Starmer’s speech also included a section in which he admitted his vision “sounds conservative”, highlighting that there are things “it is our responsibility to protect and preserve and to pass on to future generations”.

Streeting said that Britain clearly needed “fundamental change”, but added: “Sometimes on the left, we underestimate the extent to which what people also look for in life is security.

“The security of a roof over their head, and of knowing that by the end of the month you still have enough to make ends meet – and also to be able to take the kids out for a day out, or go out for a nice meal.”