IPPR says Starmer’s ‘milestones’ reflect voters’ priorities but must be backed up by a bold reform plan 

IPPR has reacted to Keir Starmer’s speech announcing six new ‘milestones’ by which the government’s progress this parliament should be judged.

Recent polling by IPPR and Persuasion UK found that voters want the government to focus on restoring public services and improving their living standards. (See note 1 below).

Harry Quilter-Pinner, IPPR’s interim executive director, said:

“The prime minister has said that he should be ‘judged on his actions, not words’. Today's speech shows that he understands what people want from him: increasing living standards and better public services. Now is the time to deliver.

“To achieve these milestones, the government must set out a bold reform agenda. This must include an industrial strategy capable of creating good jobs across the country and a public service reform agenda that can deliver preventative and personalised services when people need them most.

“Today’s milestones must be the start of a decade of national renewal. Meeting them will make a real difference in peoples’ lives. But they must be the starting point not the destination. After more than a decade of austerity and stagnation, Britain needs transformative change not incremental improvement.”

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:

Harry Quilter-Pinner, IPPR interim executive director

Zoe Billingham, director of IPPR North

Dr George Dibb, associate director for economic policy

CONTACT

David Wastell, director of news and communications d.wastell@ippr.org 07921 403651

Liam Evans, digital and media officer l.evans@ippr.org 07419 365334

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. 1. Recent IPPR reports relevant to today’s speech include:
   - Bookkeepers or changemakers? Understanding the chancellor’s choices ahead of the budget:
   https://www.ippr.org/articles/bookkeepers-or-changemakers-understanding-the-chancellors-choices-ahead-of-the-budget
   - How to build a decade of national renewal: Five lessons from history https://www.ippr.org/articles/how-to-build-a-decade-of-national-renewal
   -Great government: Public service reform in the 2020s: https://www.ippr.org/articles/great-government
   - Manufacturing matters: The cornerstone of a competitive green economy:https://www.ippr.org/articles/manufacturing-matters
   - Fairness and opportunity: A people-powered plan for the green transition:https://www.ippr.org/articles/fairness-and-opportunity
   

2. IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org