Politics latest: Starmer outlines six targets to hit by next election (2025)

The government was keen for this morning's speech by the prime minister not to be seen as a "reset", but our political editor Beth Rigby says laying out six milestones for the public to judge him on certainly feels like a "fresh start".

Having been in power for five months, Beth says the PM's personal poll ratings "are tanking" and the public "have not really got faith in this government delivering".

Labour will be hoping clear goals like getting NHS waiting lists down to the target of 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and building 1.5 million more homes, will give them something to "show progress on" before the next general election.

With a "Reform resurgence" seemingly taking place, and Nigel Farage's upstart party "really looking to lay into Labour at the local elections" in May 2025, Beth says the government "know they need an answer".

A notable absentee

These are targets "the public can hold the PM's feet to the fire over", though the elephant in the room is the lack of a specific target on cutting legal and illegal immigration.

The PM certainly knows "how important migration is" to voters, and knows all too well the government must deliver.

But after years of the Tories setting numerical goals and falling well short every time, it appears Labour think that's a bad strategy.

Now Sir Keir Starmer has finished his speech, the opposition parties have started releasing their responses.

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, claimed the prime minister was "simply moving the goalposts".

He said it was "worrying" that there was no mention of how to shorten GP waiting lists.

A post on Kemi Badenoch's social media account highlighted a number of areas - including a lack of anything "concrete" on immigration, and a watering down of Labour's "costly" decarbonisation plan.

A Reform UK spokesperson similarly highlighted the lack of a milestone on immigration, and launched familiar attacks on tax rises, winter fuel and farming inheritance tax.

And the Green Party branded the prime minister's announcements a "listicle" and lacking in ambition.

While Sir Keir Starmer was delivering his speech in front of cameras and journalists, a similar statement was made in the Commons.

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden was the one to deliver the address, and subsequently got a thorough questioning from other MPs.

One point he was repeatedly pushed on is how the milestones announced today would be measured, and how often updates would be given.

But Mr McFadden was coy with the House, not giving a clear answer to how and when the government's targets could be checked.

Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart was among those who asked Labour for a plan, as was senior Conservative Sir Gavin Williamson.

But there was little detail - with Mr McFadden saying at one point: "I am sure that the ministers in charge of these goals will keep the House regularly updated."

Tories 'shouldn't be a hard act to follow'

In response to other questions - like whether the green energy target had been watered down, or if the government will undo a spending cut or tax rise - the minister gave variations on the same answers.

These being that Labour was taking the steps it had to due to the poor inheritance from the last government, and taking tough decisions in order to achieve their targets on growth.

For example, the Liberal Democrats' Sarah Olney stated the Tories "shouldn't exactly be a hard act to follow" - before adding people feel they aren't being listened to by the current government with decisions like the national insurance hike for employers, the farming inheritance tax, and the removal of the winter fuel payment for millions.

In response, Mr McFadden says Ms Olney "seems to support extra spending but oppose all revenue raising" to pay for it.

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates says Sir Keir Starmer's speech was an "important moment" for Downing Street - and there was a surprise.

Reacting to the "milestones" address, Sam says it's a marked "refocus" on what the prime minister's government is doing.

He adds: "What we've got is six milestones which [Keir Starmer] is pledging will be delivered by the end of the next parliament.

"He stresses he knows they are ambitious, that some of them may not be delivered, but we've got to try.

"He thinks that ambition hasn't been high enough in the last few years, and he said he would focus on that, and he would ensure that Whitehall focuses on that."

Sir Keir said too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid path of managed decline.

"On the economy, there is a surprise," adds Sam.

"They have kept in the language about wanting Britain to be the fastest growing economy of any G7 nation."

Some in government had told Sam that aim would be scrapped, but they're "doubling down".

Sir Keir Starmer is now asked how his "milestones" differ from former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak's five pledges.

At the time, Sir Keir had accused Mr Sunak of choosing easy goals.

'I'm not lacking ambition'

Hasn't the prime minister just done the same thing?

The PM says: "On the ambition here, the 1.5 million homes, if we do that it's to do something that hasn't been done for decades.

"That's really bold - not lacking ambition.

"It won't happen, by the way, if we don't make the change that we've spelt out. That's how hard it is."

He points to plans to bring waiting lists down by the end of this parliament when they stand at 7 million.

"That's never been done before. That's hardly unambitious," he says.

"That's hardly the warm bath that Rishi Sunak got into."

Sir Keir says he doesn't accept that these goals aren't ambitious, saying they are "really risky" for Labour to put out there.

In a flurry of questions on the same topic, Sir Keir Starmer is asked once again about immigration.

A journalist from the Express says he still isn't sure what the government's plan is to tackle migration.

He asks if a norm of around 350,000 per year should be expected.

The prime minister says "the only way to tackle illegal migration effectively is to take down the gangs that are running it".

He adds: "They are making a huge amount of money in order to put people on boats across the Channel, and we have to take them down.

"That's why we've set up the border security command, that's why we're striking agreements with other countries, that's why I'm investing a lot of my time face-to-face with leaders to make sure that law enforcement is co-ordinated."

Sir Keir points out he has "done this before" by "collaborating and co-ordinating" when he was director of public prosecutions.

He says he doesn't accept that the UK can deal with terrorist gangs, but not with those smuggling people across the Channel.

Now, Sir Keir Starmer is asked if Labour is rowing back on clean energy.

He says in response "no" and that the "clean energy pledge is exactly what is was in the election".

"That has always been central to our mission," he says.

He says there is "no watering down" and adds there is actually a "doubling down".

In another question, he is asked if he is really arguing that Labour's clean energy pledge hasn't changed.

"The mission hasn't changed from the day I launched it nearly two years ago," he adds.

"There is always going to be a mix, but that is the pledge we made two years ago."

In what looks like a thinly-veiled swipe at the civil service, the PM says too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in a "tepid bath of managed decline".

This speech is about sending a message to the public, but also to Whitehall that he is committed to a new mission-led style of government.

He says: "This plan will land on desks across Whitehall with the heavy thud of a gauntlet thrown down."

What was missing from this speech, however, and what journalists in the room are picking up on, is migration.

Our political editor Beth Rigby asks why there are no metrics the government can be measured by on migration.

The PM has learnt from his predecessor's mistakes. The Conservatives were haunted by pledges to bring migration down to the tens of thousands, and Rishi Sunak's bold promise to "stop the boats".

Keir Starmer may well reside over a predicted fall in net migration, but will continue to face difficult questions until he tells us what success actually looks like.

Taking questions from the media, Sir Keir Starmer is asked a third question on immigration - which was not a key element of his speech.

Pressed on this, Sir Keir insists the government is going to drive down migration "both legal and illegal".

But "that will only be done with a serious plan", he says.

"We had a gimmick for a number of years called Rwanda, and what happened? The numbers went up. We wasted a lot of money - £700m - removing four volunteers to Rwanda.

"It didn't work. The only way to make it work is to smash the gangs that are running the vile trade."

He adds that the British public don't want "arbitrary caps".

Ourpolitical editor Beth Rigbyasks the prime minister why he has not given the public one metric on which to measure him when it comes to migration.

She notes it is not in his six milestones.

"These are foundational things a government must do, and they are based on security," he says.

" So national security is obvious, but border security is equally obvious in my view.

"We are committed to bringing down immigration, both legal and illegal.

"We must stop people crossing in boats across the channel. And we have to get to grips with the volume of regular migration we have in this country."

'Control of immigration must be delivered'

He says it is the "duty" of the government to bring that down.

Sir Keir Starmer is also asked by the BBC whether immigration is a priority for him or not, given it's not among his six milestones.

The prime minister says "there are basics in government" and "one of them is security and security of our borders".

"So immigration and control of immigration must be delivered," he says.

"That is a foundational principle that any government must do.

"The missions then sit on top of that - the change that the government will then bring about.

"And so these are absolutely integral to our plan."