- Starmer pledges political cleanup
- Targets fraud and cronyism
- Urges reform and integrity
Following a succession of scandals, the Labour leader will launch his party’s campaign for the next general election, expected later this year, pledging to clean up politics.
Sir Keir Starmer will condemn “fraud against the public purse.” in a key speech to launch the general election campaign.
The anticipated first address of 2024 will centre on the erosion of public confidence in politics after controversies. Including the acquisition of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.
As part of the Labour Party’s “total crackdown on cronyism,” he is expected to declare that government fraudsters could face prison terms exceeding the current maximum of ten years.
Sir Keir, a former human rights attorney and head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013, will assert that public confidence in politics has reached an all-time low, and people no longer believe they can effect change.
“After sex scandals, expense scandals, waste scandals, and contracts for cronies, people will believe we’re all in it for ourselves,” he will say, even in a crisis like the pandemic.
“To effect change in Britain, we must first reform ourselves; politics must be purified.” VIP fast lanes, coworker favouritism, and government-regulated company revolving doors will disappear.
Criticism in public life will be reinstated through an absolute assault on cronyism.
Sir Keir will emphasise his desire to “serve” by referencing his prior experience in the legal profession.
Just weeks after Tories appointed peer Baroness Michelle Mone confessed to involvement with PPE Medpro, which received over £200 million in government contracts during the pandemic, the Labour leader will deliver his speech.
Her spouse Doug Barrowman’s £60 million trust proceeds benefit Baroness Mone.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is presently suing PPE Medpro on charges that millions of the gowns it supplied did not meet the required standard; both Baroness Mone and Mr. Barrowman refute this allegation. The National Crime Agency is also conducting an investigation into the company.
In the past, Sir Keir described the scandal as a “huge disgrace from every level.”
As reported by a source. Considered policy alternatives include harsher penalties for “fraud against the public purse,” which includes the billions of pounds squandered on COVID loan schemes.
The National Audit Office (NAO) estimated in March that fraud had cost £21 billion since the COVID-19 outbreak. Over £7 billion of this was attributable to schemes implemented during the pandemic.
At present, the most severe penalty for significant fraud is ten years in prison.
Labour plans would increase prison sentences for fraudsters who steal government funds by bidding on public contracts.
According to the publication, a five-year ban on former ministers lobbying may be reduced.
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Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow minister, stated that Sir Keir would emphasise how the government has “denigrated the sense of public service.”
He cited violations of the ministerial code, which regulates the conduct of ministers. He declared that Labour would establish a new ethics and integrity commission with investigative authority over ministers.
“As we knock on doors, individuals inquire with an air of despondency, ‘Is it possible for things to improve’? Even though things could be improved, we urgently require a general election and a change in leadership at this time.”
