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Starmer urges business to talk up opportunities, saying it's time to stop doing 'that British understatement thing'
Starmer says the government has stablised the economy, and is now moving to a new phase, where it is focusing on investment.
He says he wants Britain to be the best place in the world for enterprise. He goes on:
I do believe we’ve got to stop doing that British understatement thing – we do it all the time, including me – because, believe you me, this is a great moment to get on the phone to the world and say, take another look at Britain.
He recalls talking recently to the boss of Nvidia, who told him that Britain was in a “Goldilocks” position on AI.
Starmer starts by praising the contribution to the country made by business.
None of the investment made by the government would be possible “without your contribution”, he says. “And I say thank you.”
Starmer does not spell it out directly, but he seems to be referring, at least in part, to the fact that business are now paying a lot more to the government in tax as a result in the rise in employer national insurance.
Keir Starmer speaks at BCC conference
Keir Starmer is now speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce conference.
There is a live feed at the top of the blog.
Trade minister Douglas Alexander says Labour’s welfare bill rebels ‘trying to do their job well’ as No 10 considers concessions
Good morning. Irresistible force meets immovable object and … it turns out that the object is movable after all. Until yesterday afternoon, in public at least, ministers were insisting that they were fully committed to the welfare cuts in the universal credit (UC) and personal independence payment (Pip) bill – even though it has no chance of passing in its current form because so many Labour MPs have signed a reasoned amendment to kill it.
But last night it emerged that ministers are now looking at major concessions in a bid to get it through. Jessica Elgot, Kiran Stacey, Aletha Adu and Pippa Crerar have the details here.
This is how their story starts.
Number 10 is preparing to offer concessions to Labour MPs amid a major rebellion over the government’s planned welfare cuts.
Downing Street is understood to be considering watering down changes to the eligibility for disability benefits which had been significantly tightened by the reforms in the bill.
More than 120 MPs are poised to rebel against the government next Tuesday and there remains division at the top of government over how to stem the growing anger.
Concessions under consideration include changes to the points needed for eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip), a benefit paid to those both in and out of work.
MPs also want to see changes made to other reforms affecting the health top-up for universal credit which applies to those who cannot work.
Archie Bland has more on this in his First Edition briefing.
Bland says: “Up until now, Downing Street appears to have been divided on the right way forward, with one source saying: ‘There is a camp for pulling it, a camp for concession and a small but insane camp for ploughing on.’ Reeves is understood to be particularly opposed to pulling the vote.”
This morning Douglas Alexander, the trade minister, has been on the interview round. While he did not announce any concessions, his tone could not have been more different from ministers, including Keir Starmer, speaking on this topic over the past few days. He was complimentary about the rebels, describing them as acting in good faith and implying their concerns were reasonable. And he said the government was listening.
He told Sky News:
The first thing that strikes you when you read the reasoned amendment [to block the bill, now signed by 126 Labour MPs] is the degree of commonality on the principles. Everyone agrees welfare needs reform and that the system was broken. Everyone recognises you’re trying to take people off benefit and into work, because that’s better for them and also better for our fiscal position. And everyone recognises that we need to protect the most vulnerable.
Where there is, honestly, some disagreement at the moment, is on the issue of ‘how do you give implementation to those principles?’ … The effect of what’s happened with this reasoned amendment being tabled is that that’s brought forward the discussion of how to give implementation to those principles.
So given the high level of agreement on the principles, the discussions over the coming days will really be about the implementation of those principles.
Alexander also said the rebels were, in effect, only doing their jobs as Labour MPs.
It’s right to recognise these issues touch very deeply the Labour party’s sense of itself and the rights and responsibilities of members of parliament.
What I see is everyone trying to do their job well, ministers trying to be open with parliament as to the ambitions that we have, members of parliament being clear as to their responsibility to scrutinise this legislation and get it right.
And that’s the character of the conversation that’s taking place between ministers and members of parliament in the hours and days ahead.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.15am: Keir Starmer gives a speech at the British Chambers of Commerce Global annual conference in London. Graeme Wearden is covering the BCC conference on his business live blog.
But I will be monitoring the political speeches here too.
9.30am: The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly criminal court statistics.
After 10.30am: Lucy Powell, leader of the Commons, takes questions from MPs on next week’s business.
After 11.30am: Starmer is expected to make a statement to MPs about the G7 and Nato summits.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
3.25pm: Kemi Badenoch speaks at the BCC conference.
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