Keir Starmer speech: LabourList readers back PM warning over ‘short-term pain’

LabourList readers back Keir Starmer over his plans to ask voters to accept “short-term pain for long term good” at the Budget, a poll has found.

An unscientific snap poll of 445 of our readers found that four in ten (41 percent) agreed that the Prime Minister was right to warn that “things will get worse before they get better” in a speech earlier today.

Starmer said that his government’s first Budget in October will be “painful” and asked the public to shoulder “short-term pain for long-term good”.

READ MORE: Keir Starmer’s speech in full

Some 61.2 percent of readers gave the speech a rating of five or more out of ten, with just over a quarter (26.7 percent) scoring it nine or ten.

However, just over one in ten (14.4 percent) scored the speech a one.

With tax rises expected to be announced in the Budget, more than half of LabourList readers said they would like to see rises in the rates of inheritance tax (75.2 percent) and capital gains tax (90.4 percent).

READ MORE: Five things Keir Starmer’s speech tells us about Labour’s plans and its fears

Just over a third (37 percent) of those who voted in the poll thought there should be reform of pension tax relief to raise funds, while 24 percent thought changes to council tax should be included in the Budget.

While some LabourList readers praised Keir Starmer’s honesty about the state of the country’s finances, others criticised the decision to means test the winter fuel allowance, with some also showing fatigue at repeated criticism of the previous government.

As the leading dedicated Labour news and comment platform with readers across the party, LabourList hopes the poll may give some clues about Labour members’ views more broadly.

It should still be handled with some caution, however. LabourList is not suggesting this is a scientific, weighted poll that provides an exact representation of the views of all party members at large. While many members read our daily email, anyone can subscribe to it, and anyone can fill in the poll, member or not.

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