SIR KEIR STARMER: Jobs are about dignity and pride

I remember my first job. I was 14 years old, and a local farmer paid me to clear out stones from his field. It didn’t pay much, but I still remember the pride of earning some money, the feeling of independence and achievement that comes with earning a living.

That’s what I mean when I talk about the dignity of work.

A good job doesn’t just pay the bills. It’s about new skills, meeting new people and getting on. It’s the confidence of knowing that your contribution is respected. The pride of being able to stand on your own two feet.

But right now, the system is failing people. When I see young people who haven’t been trained in the skills they need, people who are unable to work because they’re stuck on NHS waiting lists, or small businesses unable to recruit and retain suitable workers, I’m angry. There is so much wasted potential – not just for people, but for the country as well.

Now, there’s one way to deal with this – call people shirkers or go down the road of division. Like the now Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, who berated anyone and everyone from behind his desk when he was Work and Pensions Secretary, and picked fights instead of governing.

It was performative politics at its worst. Meaningless rhetoric to grab headlines, and desperate throws of the dice to cover the cracks.

At best, the last government saw people as numbers on a spreadsheet and at worst used every cliche to sow division. We all know how that approach worked out. The economy stagnated. Growth flatlined. Economic inactivity rose, and the benefits bill rose with it.

Trying to punish others for your own failures simply won’t work. The Tories were taught that lesson at the election.

There’s another way. Treating people with dignity and respect,

That always has been, and always will be, my starting point in politics. And to grow our economy, put more money in people’s pockets, and unlock our country’s full potential – it’s how people should be treated.

Getting Britain back to work is at the heart of my mission to grow the economy.

To do it, we need urgent reform across the board. Because, from wasting taxpayers’ money to poor running of public services, the state of play isn’t good enough. 

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Keir Starmer declares war on benefits Britain: Prime Minister pledges to 'crack down' on 'bulging' welfare system in bid to get country working

We need an NHS back on its feet, with treatment available in good time. We need good-quality jobs and careers support in every community. We need an education system that prepares children for the jobs of the future. And a benefits system that supports people, not snubs them.

And we need a Government that helps people into work, and to succeed at work.

That’s why, next week, my government will set out radical reforms to get Britain working, paving the way for the biggest overhaul of employment support in memory. 

That means shaking up JobCentres to genuinely help people get into and get on in work, bring forward a youth guarantee to make sure every young person is earning or learning, and give targeted funding to local leaders to support communities with health, skills and work programmes.

No more business as usual.

We must go further. That’s why, in the coming months, Mail on Sunday readers will see even more sweeping changes.

Because, make no mistake, we will get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society.

And don’t get me wrong – we will crack down hard on anyone who tries to game the system, to tackle fraud so we can take cash straight from the banks of fraudsters. There will be a zero-tolerance approach to these criminals.

My pledge to Mail on Sunday readers is this: I will grip this problem once and for all.

The work may take time, but we have got going at speed, by investing £22 billion in the budget for our NHS to cut waiting lists, by launching Great British Energy and our industrial strategy, and by reforming the skills system so businesses can recruit the highly skilled workers they need.

We’re cracking on. Sleeves rolled up, getting the job done, not gimmicks. That’s what I mean when I say this Government is in the service of working people.