Sir Keir Starmer promises Budget aimed at boosting living standards and rebuilding Britain

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her first Budget on October 30 after gloomy warnings about the tough decisions and tax rises - but Sir Keir Starmer has insisted his focus is on boosting living standards

Sir Keir Starmer has stated that the Budget will focus on improving living standards, reviving the NHS and "rebuilding Britain", hinting at investments in schools, housing and transport.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her first Budget on October 30 amidst warnings about the tough decisions and tax increases needed to address the economic legacy left by the Tories. However, Sir Keir emphasised that the financial statement's focus would be on "making people better off".

The Prime Minister outlined his three priorities as "driving up living standards – making sure people feel better off, making sure our NHS is back on its feet and fit for the future, and that we’re rebuilding the country, particularly what we’re doing on housing". He acknowledged that difficult choices such as removing winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners and grim warnings about the state of the NHS and prisons had been necessary.

Speaking to BBC’s Newscast, he said: "I am convinced that by running towards those problems and tackling them, we will make for a better future rather than painting over them."

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He added that "the central focus of the Budget is going to be on living standards, making people better off". "It’s going to be on the health service and making sure we’re putting it back on its feet, making sure that we’re rebuilding Britain, we’re getting the growth that we need in, and we made really important manifesto commitments on things like waiting lists."

Ahead of Monday's international investment summit, Sir Keir has emphasised the importance of reassuring markets about the Government's dedication to economic stability as a cornerstone for growth. "So in the Budget, we are taking difficult decisions. Winter fuel, for example, was a difficult decision, but we’re doing it to provide the economic stability that we need and the clarity of mission," he explained.

He mentioned on the BBC podcast that Heathrow Airport had to "expand the VIP area" due to the influx of investors arriving in the UK for the summit. In discussions with the BBC and The Guardian, he indicated that the Budget would include substantial Government investments nationwide.

Speaking to Newscast, he said: "Yes, I believe in an active government. I think we should be up there with our sleeves rolled up, working with business."

He added, "I don’t think it’s a question of just saying ‘here’s a sort of pot of money and if you count the amount of money in the pot, that will tell you how serious we are’."

He elaborated, "(It’s) What are you doing with your money, how you’re using it as a catalyst, and how is it going to unlock the private investment that we need? And that’s the way I see it."

He also stressed, "And that’s why we need to be really smart with investment. But we do need that investment."

Speaking to The Guardian, he criticised the current state of affairs, saying, "While other countries have powered ahead, building big and taking advantage of new technology, Britain has been left to make do with their out-of-date ideas and out-of-date service."

The Prime Minister stated that it was "common sense to invest and build". He further added, "If working people can’t afford a decent home, they can’t build good lives and careers,".

He also pointed out the impact of poor public transport on productivity and the state of schools on children's education. He highlighted the issue of NHS waiting lists being high due to lack of investment in hospitals and technology.

The Prime Minister said he would not be distracted by controversies surrounding his former chief of staff Sue Gray or his acceptance of gifts from donors. Additionally, he expressed his desire to show voters "a bit of the sunny uplands" after the Labour administration has spent months painting a bleak picture of the economic inheritance they received.

Saturday marks the 100th day of Sir Keir’s premiership and he acknowledged it had not gone smoothly. "You get these days and weeks when things are choppy, there’s no getting around that," he told the BBC.

"That is in the nature of government."

However, he insisted he would not be knocked off course. "You’re going to get side winds all the time. If you’re not going to get knocked off course, you’ve got to know where we’re headed," he told The Guardian.

"The moment I allow myself to get too bogged down in the side winds is the point that other governments have gone wrong, in my view, because they’ve lost sight of what the real point of government is."

He explained: "It’s been very much what I expected. It’s proved the thesis that government is tougher, but that government is better."

Elucidating further, he added: "Tougher because you’ve got to take tough decisions. Better, because you can take decisions and make a difference."

The tension around the perks he received, including clothing, glasses, football and concert tickets has indeed been challenging, especially as his family was embroiled in the controversy. The Prime Minister's wife, Victoria, obtained clothing while he justified the utilisation of an apartment offered by Labour peer Lord Alli as necessary for his son's GCSE study space.

"I’m not going to pretend its pleasant, because of course it’s not pleasant, but it wasn’t a first-time experience, and I doubt it will be a last one either," he divulged to The Guardian. Nevertheless, he reflected that the tumult over donations stood "a million miles away" from the partygate and PPE scandals that plagued the Tories during the Covid era.