Who is Keir Starmer? UK's Labour leader who could well get the party back to power

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom has seen a bounce in his popularity as he announced several measures to tackle the country's cost-of-living crisis, amid economic turmoil unleashed in the wake of a mini-budget tabled by the governing Conservative Party. A recent poll in the UK saw his popularity and that of the party surge; many experts are of the view that the Labour leader could well get the party back to power after 12 years of political wilderness in the next general elections slated two years from now. Last week at the party's annual conference in Liverpool, Starmer said that it was 'Labour's moment' and was met with standing ovations and fervent applause from the rank-and-file of the party.

Coming down heavily on the UK government, Starmer said that Britain's economy is in a serious situation mainly due to the policies of Prime Minister Liz Truss, which even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised. Touting green policies to spur economic growth, he said the Labour government would create jobs, improve skills and tackle climate change rather than cut taxes for the wealthiest. The Times newspaper along with YouGov conducted a poll that saw the Labour Party 17 points ahead of the Conservative Party, the largest lead in two decades. A second poll by Deltapoll saw the Labour lead by 13 points over the Conservatives.

The 60-year-old leader took over the leadership of the Labour Party in April 2020 from left-wing Jeremy Corbyn and has slowly increased the party's fortunes. The party has lost four consecutive elections and its last drubbing in 2019 was one of its worst performances in history.


If Labour wins the next elections, Sir Keir Starmer plans a publicly-owned renewable energy company. The company will be independently operated.

Features of the Planned Company

The company will be publicly owned and independently operated.

• It will be set up with public funds.
• It will be modelled on the EDF (France) and similar foreign-owned companies currently in the UK.
• The company will build wave, wind and solar projects and also invest in renewable schemes that are privately owned.
• Profits from the company will be reinvested.
• The company will be funded by the Sovereign Wealth Fund, announced by Rachel Reeves on Monday.

Growth Plans

The Labour party would start the firm at a small scale, and it would grow with new project investments. The party hopes the proposed firm will eventually compete with EDF, a French-owned firm. The party announced that it expects the returns from the firm would stimulate growth and give the British people the returns from the investment. Currently, Sweden owns the largest onshore wind farm in Wales, implying the returns from the company are going outside the country, claimed Starmer. He added that around five million people in the country pay a French-owned company for their energy usage.

Green Plans

He emphasised that the UK’s wealth is in the air, seas and skies and that this wealth should be harnessed by the country and shared with all.

FAQs

1. What are the benefits of the proposed company?
   More energy securityMore jobs
2. What is the Labour party’s energy goal?
   Sir Keir Starmer has previously announced plans to make the UK the first major economy to achieve the generation of electricity without fossil fuel use. He also said that it is a goal that is achievable in 2030, which is 5 years earlier than the government’s plans.