Starmer says UK government is ‘unashamed’ to partner with private sector

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Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK government is “unashamed to partner with the private sector” in a set-piece speech that sought to boost flagging confidence in the British economy and his administration.

In his first address as prime minister to the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Starmer said he was willing to make “unpopular” decisions, but added he knew that people wanted “respite and relief” amid a cost of living crisis.

Starmer is contending with falling poll ratings and dissatisfaction within the party about the government’s “gloomy” outlook as it seeks to fill what it says is a £22bn “black hole” in public finances.

The prime minister argued that tough government decisions now would allow Britain “much more quickly” to access the “light at the end of this tunnel”, as he promised that the cost of filling the hole in the public finances would be “shared fairly”.

He added that confidence in the country was “brittle and fragile” and had to be restored, as he promised “national renewal”.

He added: “But the cost of filling that black hole in our public finances that will be shared fairly.”

Depicting his government as unashamed to work closely with the private sector to level up the country, Starmer said that Labour should be “proud to be the party of wealth creation”.

He said the government would give businesses more flexibility to adapt to the skills needs of employers through new “foundation apprenticeships” to give young people a way into work. 

He also announced that GB Energy, the new state-owned group intended to spearhead the transition to cleaner energy, would be headquartered in Aberdeen, a city set to be hit by Labour’s moves to curb offshore oil and gas extraction.

Speaking before he travels to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Starmer urged “all parties to pull back from the brink” in the Middle East.

This is a developing story