Starmer speaks for first time since surviving calls to resign

Thank you so much for taking the time this afternoon—I really appreciate the chance to chat with you It's been a busy week so it's truly wonderful to be here with you I'm really looking forward to it—I think I'll move from table to table but I wanted to tal o you because I wanted to take the chance to say that I know whatever is going on e world and it's a volatile place out there right now and whatever's happening in amid the political chaos there's been quite a bit happening over the past few days I know that for you and millions of others what matters most is the cost of living— actually paying the bills getting by improving living standards and strong public services That work—these are the things that truly matter to people the very issues were entrusted to change when we won the election And I know that’s what matters most from personal experience growing up we didn't have enough money to pay our bills and I know what it's like to sit around the kitchen table worrying about not being able to make ends mee struggling to make ends meet and that's exactly what people across the country are facing—and our job is to change it at But I also know it's the most important issue we must focus on because I know what I'm fighting for and who I'm fighting for I have the most working-class cabinet ever the history of this country sitting around my cabinet table and I'm truly proud of that—proud of what they bring to the table of their personal journeys to get there eir experiences but it is utter nonsense to claim that this means everyone has a fair chance in life—utter nonsense I feel very strongly about this I'm in that cabinet as The prime minister rising from a working-class background to lead this country is the exception not the rule even within my own family my brother passed away last year having struggled to learn during his youth he spent his adult life drifting from one job to another in virtual poverty This system this political system simply didn't work for him and there are millions in the same situation—children living in poverty young people denied the opportunities they deserve millions held back by a system tha It doesn't work for them those who aren't given the dignity respect and opportunity they deserve and I'm fighting for them I am their Prime Minister and this is their government and I am will never give up on that fight In recent days some people have said the Labour government should be fighting a different battle—one against itself rather than one for the millions of people who need us to fight for them and I tell them I will never abandon the mandate I was entrusted with transforming this nation and I will never abandon the people I am sworn to serve fighting for and I will never walk away from the country I love—the country I truly believe we are a compassionate reasonable live-and-let-live nation a diverse one a country where given half a chance we help each other out—that’s who we are and I want to serve every part of that country the country I love in the fight ahead politics the real struggle isn't within the Labour Party—it's against right-wing politics that opposes reform the politics of division division complaint complaint that will tear our country apart—that is the fight we are in And I’ll stand in that fight as long as I have breath in my body Thank you so much for listening To me I'm now looking forward to a nice cup of tea—gentlemen I'm in an Arsenal scarf here so If you'll forgive me I'm going to begin there and then circle back to the rest of you—thank you Well there the Prime Minister speaking at an event in Hertfordshire talking in very clear terms erms regarding the events of the past 24 hours the political upheaval some pointing to Labour the Labour should have the government should have a fight with itself but he says he will never walk away from the mandate he has to help this country not walk away from the country he loves loves this is the real fight—it's not within the Labour Party it's from the right-wing reform e politics of division he says he'll be in that fight as long as he has breath in his body People are asking questions so let's just return and listen in Well rail is really really important because what we've tried to do is implement a range of measures at address the cost of living such as energy bills where we'reducing the amount by £150 bill free childcare free school meals free breakfast clubs but many people commute particularly from here will travel and have season tickets to get to work and back so what we've done for the first time in 30 years is to freeze rail fares keeping a cap on them to make Make sure people have more money in their pockets which is exactly why we've taken the actions we have with rail fares and it's really important that these measures add up—each one isn't a silver bullet but when you combine them all along with the increase in minimum wages it makes a significant difference It means people have more money in their pocket to return to that central concern of how they make ends meet and how they get on in life Let's have another question or contribution or comment Thank you my question is about energy bills and this winter I've been pleased o notice that my fuel bill hasn't been as high since it's been damp like it is today asn't been this cold so what is the government going to do for us from now on if we face a Will there be a cold winter next year Yes that would actually be quite beneficial as I believe for many people the energy bill is currently the biggest concern especially during the winter months what we're doing is in April we're giving every household a £150 reduction on their energy bills a £150 reduction on the bill for the six million poorer households across the country We've already taken £150 off so for them both aspects of this are really important I should also mention another aspect and that's what's happening internationally because the war in Ukraine has doubled your energy bills so Ukraine isn't some distant conflict where it's simply a battle between right and wrong—because it is and we stand with the Ukrainians 's actually something that comes through your letterbox every month as the bills have risen remaining 40% higher due to the conflict in Ukraine so the wor we are working internationally to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine which is not only crucial in its own right for Ukrainians Europe and us but also of great importance for reducing our energy bills will lower costs by significantly more than £150 so both of those measures will make a substantial difference We need to come together Is there anything else you'd do Oh I don't know But it does worry me—energy bills really worry people because then they don’t turn the heat on eating on don't turn it up so high—these are all the things that add up to people feeling I'm not getting the life I should be getting I'm not able to do what I should be able to do and it really matters to people Who else has a question Yes sir My question is with resources becoming so stretched you know housing— e association refers to them as tenants the GP as patients the school as pupils—same individuals with the same challenges so how do you bridge these disconnected systems communicate use it as a framework to collaborate more so resources and funding can be effectively directed toward truly supporting the families we're all here to help Absolutely crucial because In all these issues—child poverty being just one example—there are typically many factors that need to be addressed and they are usually handled in slightly different isolated ways and we need to bring it all together which is why we’ve developed a child poverty strategy so it can span across the department not just stuck in one silo but truly integrated across all departments bringing everything together especially since there's a two-child benefit limit whic as pushed hundreds of thousands of children into poverty under the previous government—something they should never be forgiven for quite frankly—but at the same time there's the work that still needs to be done o ensure people take home more money through wages that truly reflect the work they do with minimum wages increasing to match the value of that work be done on free school meals which we're expanding significantly along with free breakfast clubs—this isn't just about money it's also about giving children a real chance because if you come to school without breakfast you won't learn much whereas if you do go to a breakfast club get something to eat you can give that child a better chance so they won't be held back and it ties back to this issue of being held back children living in poverty ere is overwhelming evidence that children struggle to reach their full potential so the policy of holding children back in poverty is a policy of holding them back from their potential s you know a myth that suggests people go as far as their talent will take them—you can't go further than that as far as your talent can take you if you're striving and growing up in poverty That's why it's not just about money—it's about who we are what we stand for and whom we're fighting I work for a youth homelessness charity so our focus spans from the child poverty strategy to homelessness more broadly especially among young people for young people and we know that the single biggest cause of youth homelessness is family breakdown so I'm interested in what support exists for those interventions that can help designed to keep families together yes so that we don’t end up with a lost generation left without homes—so I think support for prevention services is critical really important I mean on homelessness we've allocated a record three and a half billion pounds and we've also provided 37 million to support organizations working to address homelessness because they usually know best what needs to be done in their own area so we need to provide e support so people got a roof over their head but the real way to tackle this is to make sure people don't get into that position in the first place and that can be marriage breakdown family Breakdowns are all too often linked to mental health especially among younger people and of course poverty so we need to strengthen mental health provisions—and this brings me back to the cost living we need to ensure people have access to adequate resources another crucial issue is eliminating no-fault evictions which we are addressing because far too many People have a roof over their head and then suddenly they don’t through no fault of their own so all these issues need to be addressed—yes we need to support people where they already are omeless individuals need more than just shelter—it's about providing the support to help them find stability and a place to call home not just a roof over their heads a roof over your head that truly matters but you'll know it's the other support that needs to go—otherwise it tends to be temporary and leads to relapse rather than being a real path forward but we also need to address the underlying causes thank you very much—I'm going to ave that cup of tea now if you don't mind well yeah a slight delay on a cup of tea and the chap with the Arsenal scarf he looks like he's just gotten up and given his seat to him um but yeah so Keir Starmer basically telling the audience there he is— he's not quitting he will never abandon his mandate never walk away from the country he loves—let's bring in our chief political leader correspondent John Craig who can share his thoughts on what heard from the prime minister—it 's quite bullish the prime minister was also speaking with considerable passion and intensity Personally he's mentioned his brother before but I'm not sure he's ever spoken about him in such personal terms—actually in some of his interviews his brother was Nick Starmer aged 60 passed away from cancer on Boxing Day 2024 and the Prime Minister commented on his death as talked about how he hit him quite hard and had to go clear out his brother's house so on it was all terribly sad but the core message was the same as the one he delivered to MPs last night at the parliamentary Labour Party meeting—I won’t walk away defiant that sort of talk but his u His manner was very warm and friendly when I saw him arrive at the PLP at six o'clock Last night he had a face like thunder brushing past everyone in the corridor without so much as a good evening clearly in a terrible mood By all accounts his performance with MPs went down quite well and you can see how fairly mild-mannered the audience was— he's at a community centre in Hertfordshire and he had around four or five of them there questions and he was very patient in addressing them and without a doubt those who work with him would say Well he's good in that kind of setting and he did seem noticeably more relaxed—undoubtedly relieved after the events of the past 24 hours turned out not nearly as bad as he had feared they might at one po and clearly he wanted to convey that the government has received a message about the cost of living—it's all about the cost of living during this visit and you heard him speak about energy bills and so on—he got a question toward the end about family breakdown and no-fault evictions and the like And so I believe he'll probably feel like he's back in a more familiar welcoming environment really some people at a community center rather than some of his troublesome MPs though it's fair to say say that the majority of MPs his MPs seem to be on the evidence of last night backing him Although I should mention very shortly there's a meeting of the Scottish Labour MPs at Westminster we await to see whether they'll back the prime minister or Anna Searwar One or two of them have already stated their support for Mr Sarwar their labor leader in Scotland—so the prime minister was back on the road seeming to be enjoying himself with a nice bit of banter and yes right at the beginning he said and it's something of an understatement it's been a busy week—it's a volatile world out there—and he said he talked about the turmoil in politics Over the past few days well at least he's acknowledging it but he'll be relieved to be among some voters—some pretty friendly ones Okay John thanks very much