Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled an ambitious and controversial plan to turbocharge the UK economy, vowing to sweep aside anyone who stands in the way of major infrastructure projects. In a forceful speech laden with populist rhetoric, the Labour leader declared his mission is simple: “to grow, baby, grow”.
Starmer’s Economic Battleplan
At the heart of Starmer’s economic vision lies a focus on large-scale infrastructure development. He believes unleashing a wave of construction, from airport expansions to wind farms to power lines, holds the key to unlocking rapid growth.
To achieve this, Starmer has promised an all-out offensive against what he brands as “blockers” – anyone who raises objections or causes delays to these grand projects. In his crosshairs are:
- Local planning committees who scrutinize development proposals
- Environmental defenders concerned about ecological impacts
- Rural communities who want a say over changes to their area
- Advocates for the green belt and preserving countryside
Starmer argues there is no time to waste on “nimbys” fretting about wind turbines spoiling village views or extra traffic from a new runway. For him, the overriding imperative must be unshackling growth.
Starmer’s Macho Populist Zeal
The prime minister’s dismissive rhetoric towards those who question his infrastructure plans has clear echoes of the macho populism most closely associated with Donald Trump. Like the brash US politician, Starmer seems to revel in having cartoonish enemies to bash.
His lofty talk of accelerating growth through massive building schemes also harks back to political strongmen who prized glitzy megaprojects over prosaic local improvements.
But this addiction to constantly announcing shiny new infrastructure ventures looks less like a governing philosophy than a weakness for glamorous toys.
Indeed, while the prime minister fixated on vanity projects like the £1bn Heathrow tunnel, priorities directly impacting quality of life, like social care, get piecemeal attention. There won’t be a penny extra for desperately needed care homes under Labour, only a three-year wait for an inquiry.
Centralized Power Grab
Beyond his bulldozing approach to building, Starmer and his housing secretary Angela Rayner are enforcing the infrastructure agenda via a dramatic upheaval of local democracy.
They plan to abolish many district and borough councils, which currently have planning oversight, and merge them into larger authorities covering populations of 500,000-plus. These new administrative behemoths will dance to the tune of central government targets.
This radical stripping away of community control over development marks a watershed moment for civic participation. Rayner has made it clear the point is to punish local planners for not rubber-stamping Whitehall’s demands fast enough.
No other advanced democracy so casually carves up established boundaries of political representation or grants so few powers over land use to the communities that will live with the consequences.
– Simon Jenkins
This centralization of development decisions, riding roughshod over local wishes, would not be out of place in an authoritarian state. That it is happening under a Labour government shows how far Starmer has drifted in his zeal for growth at all costs.
A Reform UK Revival?
Starmer’s uncompromising stance risks alienating a broad swathe of voters – from rural residents anxious about the changing character of their area to environmentalists worried about vanishing green space.
The prime minister seems to be calculating that being seen as decisive and pro-development will bring more supporters than it repels. He may view his self-described “blockers” as a handy scapegoat if the promised growth bonanza takes time to materialize.
But bulldozing centuries-old structures of local governance and riding roughshod over community concerns is unlikely to quell opposition. If anything, the high-handed, autocratic style could enrage critics further.
That pent-up anger may find an outlet in Reform UK, the populist party that Starmer paradoxically most resembles in his swaggering determination to smash any barriers to growth.
Starmer’s strategy to deprive local people of a say over development and brand dissenters as “blockers” is likely to prove a rallying gift for the more authentic populists of Reform UK.
If Reform can harness the brewing discontent and present itself as the true champion of ordinary communities against overbearing centralized rule, Starmer’s combative approach may end up backfiring spectacularly by reviving the fortunes of his fiercest ideological opponents.
With his macho growth-first crusade, the Labour leader is gambling that the upside of being seen as a dynamic man of action will outweigh the downside of being viewed as an insensitive bulldozer. But as he charges full steam ahead with his disruptive plans, blithely swatting away any objections, Starmer may come to regret so eagerly embracing the polarizing cloak of populism.
