Keir Starmer will today unveil a Tony Blair-style pledge card as he steps up his bid to convince voters to make him prime minister.
The six “first steps for change” will include promises that a Labour government will deliver economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, crack down on anti-social behaviour and recruit 6,500 new teachers.
The party leader will also vow to launch a new “border security command” to tackle the small boats crisis and set up the publicly-owned Great British Energy to produce gas and electricity in the UK.
Starmer told a meeting of his shadow cabinet yesterday: “What is crucial about these commitments is that they are part of a long-term plan to get Britain back on its feet.
“Each of the first steps would chime with voters’ aspirations, show a clear set of priorities and a powerful direction of travel.”
Starmer will unveil promises at a presidential-style event in Essex alongside other members of his frontbench team.
The pledge card, featuring a picture of a serious-looking Starmer, has clear echoes of the similar list of retail policies produced by Tony Blair before Labour’s landslide 1997 general election victory.
Starmer said: “These first steps make real our claim that a changed Labour Party is back in service of working people. They show our priorities, what we care about and what the British public cares about. Country first, party second.
“If you’re waiting in pain for NHS treatment, if your child is at school and you want higher standards, if your local area is plagued by anti-social behaviour, if you want cheaper energy bills for good, these first steps show what a Labour government will do to help you.”
He added: “The contrast at the election is going to be stark. A Tory Party that gets nothing done, can’t deliver – struggles to get to the end of the week. And a Labour Party, sleeves rolled up, fixing problems with a long-term plan for change.
“These steps can only be achieved if we pull together, with a sense of common purpose, ending the years of division, and rebuilding the country in partnership.”