Tomorrow you have the chance to vote for change.
You have the chance to vote for hope. You have the chance to vote for a better future. Only Labour can offer this country a way forward. Only Labour can improve public services, usher in a new era of prosperity and restore pride in this country.
The alternative is inconceivable. This country could not endure another five years of Conservative rule. A party that has caused so much damage over the past 14 years will only bring more ruin, scandal, division and poverty to Britain.
In this election the Conservatives will be judged by their actions and they will be found unanimously guilty.
They will be guilty of impoverishing people, they will be guilty of weakening our defences, they will be guilty of greed, corruption, law-breaking and negligence. Your record in office must never be forgotten or forgiven. As you vote today, remember the country when Labour left power in 2010 and compare it with the country today.
Remember the situation today, when satisfaction with the NHS was at an all-time high, only waiting lists are at an all-time high. Remember the situation today, when under a Labour government young people were cared for in Sure Start centres, child poverty was almost eliminated and families were supported through tax cuts.
And then look at the situation today, where more than 14 million people, including four million children, live below the poverty line, food banks are handing out record numbers of parcels and too many pensioners are forced to choose between heating or eating.
Look at your local area and ask yourself if it has gotten better in the last 14 years. The scars left by austerity can be seen everywhere, from boarded up shops, libraries and leisure centres to police station closed signs and potholes in the streets.
An estimated 12 million people cannot access an NHS dentist. Our seas, rivers and waterways are polluted by sewage. Thousands of bus routes have been suspended. Crimes go unreported, but prisoners are released early. Trains are too expensive, overcrowded and unreliable.
This is the legacy of the Conservatives who ruined Britain. This is the legacy of the party responsible for the sharpest fall in living standards and the biggest tax increases since the Second World War.
They have failed in every respect, but what makes their failure so unpleasant and hard to digest is the arrogant way in which they have governed.
They divided the country by holding the Brexit referendum, then signed a failed deal that left us weaker and poorer. They gave us David Cameron’s austerity, Theresa May’s weak tenure and Boris Johnson’s morally bankrupt era.
Never forget they celebrated while we followed the rules. Never forget they handed billions of pounds worth of contracts to their cronies during the Covid-19 pandemic. And never forget they elected Liz Truss as Chancellor. People are still paying the price of miserable mini-households in the form of rising rents and mortgages.
There was no excuse for the pain and suffering they caused. There is no remorse for the way they have undermined their office, undermined public trust and broken the law – nor for the mess that has produced four Prime Ministers, five Chancellors and five Education Ministers over so many years.
Rishi Sunak‘s only plan is for things to continue as before – many more years of slower growth, more cuts to public services and even weaker leadership. If the Prime Minister can’t make the right decision about attending the D-Day commemorations, how can we trust him to make the right decision on anything else?
The seriousness, commitment and determination of Keir Starmer‘s Labour Party has never been more needed. This is a very different Labour Party to the one that fought the last three elections.
She is aligned with a country hungry for change. Instead of the chaotic governance of the past 14 years, Labour promises to bring professionalism and stability back to government.
Instead of the Conservative right-wing attitude, Labour will seek to serve. Under Rachel Reeves’ leadership, they will get the economy back on track. There will be more jobs to reduce NHS waiting lists, more homes to give people the safety they deserve, more teachers to make sure all children thrive, and more police on the streets so communities feel safe again.
Great British Energy will help cut energy costs. The railways will be renationalised. Children in schools will get mental health support.
These are the first steps in a 10-year programme for national renewal. It will take time to rebuild the country from the rubble left behind by the Conservatives. Starmer made no attempt to hide from voters the enormous task that lies ahead.
What he has done is give people hope. People can look forward to a better future again. They can imagine a country at peace. They can predict when things will finally be right again. They think they might find safe, well-paying jobs to provide for their families. They look forward to the day when they can be proud of their community and their country again.
