Over the past couple of months both the Tories and the Labour Party have started to set out their stalls for the next general election, which is likely to be some time in 2024. There are three key things that should be shouting out to voters about ‘Labour’s Five Missions’ versus ‘Sunak’s Five Pledges’.
First, ‘Sunak’s Pledges’ are characteristically focused on the short term between now and the next election. ‘Labour’s Missions’ unapologetically recognise that the chaotic mess the Tories have created over three electoral terms will take more than one term to fix.
Second, Labour is ambitious in its missions to become a ‘clean energy superpower’ by 2030 and secure the ‘highest sustained growth’ of any G7 country.
In comparison, Sunak’s pledges lack any kind of ambition for the UK. His economic focus is narrowly configured around marginal gains in growth, maintaining rather than reducing the cost of living, and making small inroads into reducing the national debt.
None of which helps ordinary people in North Dorset who are struggling on a daily basis with the cost of living, and leaves the UK on course to fall behind Poland in terms of growth per capita within the next ten years.
Third, while both the Tories and Labour appear to acknowledge the need to improve the NHS, the remainder of their pledges and missions take on a distinctly different feel. While Labour’s missions to reform the justice system and raise education standards point to long-term aspirations for a fairer and more equal society, Sunak’s focus is on continuing to ‘other’ people who arrive on our shores in boats seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
While it is clear that Labour will also need to get to grips with the asylum crisis that endangers people seeking a better life, bedevils seaside economies dependent on tourism, and has been proven negligent in its care of unaccompanied children, Sunak’s focus on immigration is nothing less than a cynical appeal to the right of his crumbling and ill-disciplined party that reeks of desperation.
Pat Osborne
North Dorset Labour Party
