Starmer warns Britain's broken public services will take time to repair

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Sir Keir Starmer warned that fixing Britain's broken public services would take time as he addressed the nation from Downing Street on the new Labour government's first day in office.

The Prime Minister is keen for change, but has warned that reforming state institutions such as the health and prison services will not happen overnight.

He said he told ministers at the first Cabinet meeting on Saturday morning that they had to get started immediately. “We will make difficult decisions early.”

Starmer said Labour's landslide victory in Thursday's general election, which saw him return to power for the first time in 14 years, meant he had a mission to deliver change.

He warned that the NHS and prison system were among the most glaring failings in the country.

He promised to fix the problem, saying: “Everyone who works or uses the NHS knows that it is broken… Prisons are another clear example of how parts of the system are broken. We can’t pretend that we can fix everything overnight.

Starmer pointed out that the previous Conservative government had only completed part of its prison building programme. You can't build a prison in 24 hours.

The prime minister confirmed that one of his first acts after coming to power would be to end the Conservative Party’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in central Africa for processing. “The Rwanda plan was dead before it even started and was never a deterrent,” he said. “I am not prepared to continue the deception.”

Starmer said he was pleased to appoint several prominent experts to his cabinet to provide deep policy expertise at the heart of his government.

They include James Timpson, a businessman known for rehabilitating ex-offenders and now the Prisons Minister, and Sir Patrick Vallance, who served as the government's chief scientific adviser during the Covid-19 pandemic and is now the science minister.

Ministers applaud Sir Keir Starmer as he chairs his first Cabinet meeting. AP

Timson has previously criticized the prison system's operations, saying too many people are locked up.

Starmer has appointed human rights lawyer Richard Hummer KC as his replacement for the same job in government, ousting former shadow justice secretary Emily Thornbury. Timson, Vallance and Hummer will be peers.

On Friday, Rachel Reeves, David Lammy and Yvette Cooper were appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary respectively, while Wes Streeting became Health Secretary.

The new government faces immediate challenges, including finalising pay deals with doctors, and is expected to overhaul the planning system in the coming days to boost much-needed housing development.

The new prime minister said he would tour Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales on Sunday to meet ministers.

He said he would convene a meeting on Tuesday with mayors from major cities across the country, including mayors from other political parties, because no party has a monopoly on ideas.

The prime minister has said his government's first duty is security and defence, and he will attend the NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday evening where he will meet other world leaders, including Joe Biden.

The White House said the US president called Starmer on Friday to congratulate him on his election victory and reaffirm the special relationship between the two countries and the importance of working together to support freedom and democracy around the world.

Starmer spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, and had further calls with the prime ministers of India, Japan and Australia on Saturday.

At a press conference, Starmer refused to say how long it would take the new Labour government to meet its pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

He confirmed he would set up and chair a new mission board to drive policy and support cross-departmental working through civil servants. The policy was first revealed by the Financial Times.

Starmer has pledged to put country first and said tribal politics have been a major cause of Westminster's dysfunction in recent years.

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