NOBODY could deny Sir Keir Starmer is being brutally frank.
In his first keynote speech since winning power, the PM will this week bluntly warn that things are going to get worse before they get better.
He blames the “deep rot” he inherited from the Tories for the downward spiral.
And with admirable honesty he admits it will take time to turn things around.
Sir Keir was quick to clamp down after the riots and we back his insistence that the Government will not listen to thugs who use violence as a cause.
It is also good to see the Home Office raiding bosses who fuel the illegal migrant economy, threatening them with fines of up to £60,000 per worker.
But a word of caution to the PM.
While rightly tackling rioters, he must not ignore genuine concerns that Labour lacks credible, long-term plans to tackle legal and illegal migration.
Sir Keir must also be alive to the growing revolt over Rachel Reeves’ cuts to pensioners’ winter heating payments.
And he should be aware that his cave-in to the outrageous pay demands of his union cronies as a reward for their political support has stoked widespread anger.
The PM insists that he has inherited an economic black hole. But some of the Government’s pay policies have only made it deeper.
Perhaps he should remember the words of 1970s Labour Chancellor Denis Healey.
‘’When you’re in a hole, stop digging.’’
THE Tories certainly needed time to regroup this summer after their election disaster.
But it is ludicrous that they won’t have a new leader for another two months.
The Government is bringing in radical new policies unchallenged and the Tory grassroots are understandably furious.
The party are clearly shellshocked. But they cannot allow their contest to drag on for another eight weeks.
As His Majesty’s Opposition they have a democratic duty to unite behind a new chief and start putting Labour under scrutiny.
IT IS bad enough that Aslef train drivers are to strike despite being handed a massive 14 per cent pay rise.
But look at their beef. That managers have had the gall to contact them out of hours to offer them lucrative overtime.
The extra dosh could even push their pay up past £80,000.
This arrogant band of brothers will soon have the keys to the whole rail network.
