The promises are ambitious. The issues riddled with complexities. The stakes, high. Â
So it’s perhaps no surprise that Sir Keir Starmer’s speech was also peppered with caution.
The Labour leader’s commitments – which include stabilising the economy, cutting NHS waiting times, setting up Great British Energy, cracking down on anti-social behaviour and recruiting 6,500 new teachers – form the party’s “mission” should it win the election.
But dig into the words and phrases of the policies – about the time it might take to achieve them – and you get a glimpse into a party that seems reluctant to promise too much for fear of not delivering enough.
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Labour says these policies are a “bridge to longer-term plans” – no quick fixes here.
But Sir Keir spoke of delivering them within the first term of parliament – that’s five years.
And describing them as a “down payment on change” suggests something gradual, something that will need time.
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Given Labour is so far ahead in the polls, you’d think the party would be more bullish.
So when Sir Keir talks of a “decade of national renewal”, it’s clear that this is a party that’s oddly desperate to play things down just a bit.
One big reason is that Labour wants to win an election, clearly.
But Sir Keir’s party will also want to win a second, even a third, and keeping a lid on the promises now might serve Labour well later down the line.
