Starmer is trying to revive the premiership with a new promise to tackle crime

Keir Starmer will attempt to reset his premiership with a series of promises to show he is “bringing change”, including 13,000 extra community police and a so-called “bobby on every beat”.

In a speech in which Labor hopes to set out the “next phase” of government, the Prime Minister will set out six “milestone targets” including living standards, NHS deprivation, secure energy, housing and children’s willingness to go to school .

As part of a pledge to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, he will say every borough in England and Wales will have a named and addressed police officer.

Each police force will also have an anti-social behavior officer, tasked with coming up with ways to address the concerns of local residents and businesses.

Starmer will pledge an additional 13,000 community police, PCSOs and special officers by 2029, with a further £100 million in funding.

“These officers must demonstrably spend time on visible patrols and cannot be taken off the field to fill shortages elsewhere,” he will say.

The boost would bring total police staffing levels above the 2010 peak.

After ministers were accused of blindsiding businesses with a big increase in national insurance contributions in the budget, the heads of three major retailers – Asda, Co-op and McDonald’s – backed the “neighbourhood police guarantee”.

The pledge will draw comparisons to the Blair-era ‘tough on crime’ slogan. Many of the plans were first outlined by Labor last year.

The attempted restart – dubbed Starmer’s “plan for change” – follows a difficult first five months in power for the government.

A large tax and spending budget was welcomed by campaigners for higher spending on public services, but undermined business confidence and sparked protests from farmers. Starmer has also faced a row over ministers receiving free gifts, and the resignation of both his chief of staff, Sue Gray, and his transport secretary, Louise Haigh, who resigned after it emerged she had been convicted of fraud over a missing work phone.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has labeled Thursday’s speech an “emergency reset”.

But Starmer will argue that the new “milestones” are the next phase of the “missions” he says would shape a Labor government. But it’s also a tacit admission that these missions are being dumped because they were either too vague or not feasible.

The missions were to achieve the highest growth of any G7 country, make Britain a “clean energy superpower”, halve serious violent crime, break down “barriers to opportunity” and building an NHS “fit for the future”.

No ten insiders have argued that numerical targets are more memorable to voters. “We will put them (the missions) into layman’s terms,” a source said last week.

The Guardian has reported that the planned reset is being driven by Morgan McSweeney, who replaced Gray as chief of staff. “Morgan knows that our best chance of staving off a populist wave, and winning Keir a second term, will deliver tangible change for voters,” said one ally.

In his speech on Thursday, Starmer will say: “My government was elected to bring about change, and today marks the next step. People are tired of being promised the world, but short-term politics are letting them down.

“Hard-working Britons go out every day, but make short work of a policy that should serve them. They reasonably want a stable economy, a safe country, secure borders, more money in their pockets, safer streets in their city, opportunities for their children, safe British energy in their homes, and an NHS that is there when they need it. It. My mission-led government will deliver results.”

On the crime and anti-social behavior plan, he will add: “The community policing guarantee will provide 13,000 extra community police, visible on your streets, who will crack down on anti-social behaviour. A named, contactable officer in each community. A relief for millions of people who are afraid to walk the streets they call home.

“But it is a promise that is only possible because we combine investments with reforms; standardizing purchasing, streamlining specialized services such as forensics, and ending the madness of 43 forces buying their own cars and uniforms.

Stores have complained of an epidemic of shoplifting over the past year, fueled in large part by the cost of living crisis.

Liz Evans, Chief Commercial Officer at Asda, said: “Asda welcomes the introduction of the Neighborhood Policing Guarantee and the new role for businesses in shaping local policing priorities.

“At the heart of communities, retailers see every day the devastating impact retail crime has on our colleagues and our customers. The changes introduced today are positive and Asda stands ready to work with our new community officers to reduce crime and improve safety in the communities we serve.”

McDonald’s UK CEO Alistair Macrow said: “Tackling and raising awareness of anti-social behavior is vital to keeping high streets and local communities safe.” Paul Gerrard, Co-op’s director of campaigns and public affairs, said: “The Co-op sees the impact of crime and anti-social behavior every day in our stores and in the communities they serve, so we welcome the Government’s action today .”

Police numbers fell after the 2010 election when David Cameron came to power, before rising again after 2019 when the previous government promised to recruit 20,000 police officers. While officer numbers reached record levels, the number of PCSOs and special constables continued to fall.

The Conservatives said only a third of the 13,000 new recruits would be full-fledged police officers, while the £100 million would not cover what was needed to pay for them, leading to cuts elsewhere.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Conservatives recruited more than 20,000 extra police officers and gave the force an extra £922 million for policing this year, allowing the force to protect the public and prosecute more criminals. Starmer has once again misled the public by claiming he would recruit 13,000 extra officers when the actual number is 3,000, and even that is not properly funded.”