(London) Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to warn his fellow citizens on Tuesday that their lives will “get worse before they get better” in his first speech since taking office.
Mr Starmer, leader of the Labour Party which won the July 4 election by a landslide, is expected to denounce the legacy of the previous Conservative government in a speech, excerpts of which have been released in advance.
“We have inherited a black hole, both in the economy and in society. That is why we must act and do things differently,” he is expected to say in his speech.
“That means being honest with people: about the choices we face, and the challenges we’re going to face,” he added. “Frankly, things are going to get worse before they get better.”
His services did not specify in what context the head of the British government is to deliver this speech.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves recently warned that the new government would have to make “difficult decisions” – whether to cut spending or raise taxes – in its first budget, which it is due to present on October 30.
Since Labour’s victory, she has repeatedly accused former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives of leaving a £22 billion (nearly CA$40 billion) hole in this year’s budget.
Her opponents say she must have known the state of the country’s finances for months and is simply preparing minds for unpopular announcements.
More generally, commentators believe that voters could quickly tire of hearing Labour constantly invoke the Tory legacy instead of taking action.
The situation is “worse than we ever imagined,” Keir Starmer is expected to say. He said the Office for Budget Responsibility “was not aware […] because the previous government hid this.”
The Prime Minister is also due to address the recent riots in the UK following a knife attack in which three girls were killed while attending a dance class.
The rioters were able to exploit “fractures in our society after 14 years of populism and failure” under the Conservatives, he said.
Authorities have accused far-right activists of inciting the riots, which have targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.
Authorities have blamed an online disinformation campaign portraying the attacker as a Muslim asylum seeker. He was in fact born in Britain to parents from Rwanda, a largely Christian country.