Voices: Time’s up for the Tories: Labour doesn’t just have a vision for this country – we have a plan

Britain is at a crossroads. We are at a moment of decision about what future we want and what our country could be.

The scars of the pandemic remain etched on our public services. War has returned to Europe once again. And we face a cost of living crisis leaving millions with the agonising decision of heating or eating. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

But at this moment, what does the new prime minister have to say to working people?

When she could be bringing people together, Liz Truss has chosen to line the pockets of energy executives and big bankers rather than the British public as a whole.

The Conservatives will never be on the side of the working people of Britain. How could they be? At every twist and turn, they have made wrong choices.

They backed austerity, leaving working people high and dry. They left our nurses and carers wearing bin bags as they fought the pandemic. They have no serious long-term plan for the economic catastrophe at our door.

Truss’s trickle-down economics is – and always was – a sham. There is not a shred of evidence it will benefit anyone beyond the richest individuals and global corporates pocketing the latest giveaways.

Liz Truss believes in the failed trickle-down ideology of the past that has locked Britain out of growth and will never deliver for working people.

The billions of taxpayers’ money handed to suppliers linked to tax havens has been revealed. The catalogue of Tory cronyism, waste and sleaze is there for all to see. No wonder public trust is hanging by a thread.

Earlier this year, ministers wrote off nearly £10bn spent on personal protective equipment that was either substandard, defective, past its use-by date, dramatically overpriced or undelivered. But this wasn’t a one-off.

This weekend, at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, I am putting private contractors who are after a quick buck at the people’s expense on notice.

The next Labour government will turn this Tory procurement racket on its head with our new Value for Money Guarantee. We will ensure that every single penny of taxpayers’ money spent on procurement is guided by what’s best for the national interest.

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Our National Procurement Plan will ensure public spending supports local jobs, drives up standards and delivers for our communities. We’ll put an end to the Tories’ race to the bottom and start a race to the top.

Through our Fair Work Standard, Labour will ensure firms that uphold high standards of responsible taxation, local job creation, skills and training, environmental protection and labour standards are rewarded as they tender for government contracts.

While the Tories cut murky deals in the dark with their mates using taxpayers’ money, Labour will also get tough on suppliers who fail to deliver. We’ll track performance and keep the receipts, publishing them out in the open to give the people transparency about how their taxes are spent.

If suppliers fail to deliver, we’ll claw back the public’s money. There will be no hiding place for cronies – and no corner for corruption. Those with a track record of failure face being struck off.

Labour’s National Procurement Plan will support British enterprise, drive up standards and deliver for our communities.

Because Labour doesn’t just have a vision for this country. We have a plan.

The next Labour government will unite this country through the times ahead, hand power back to the people and the places that once built Britain, and be on the side of working people. We will grow a fairer, greener economy, clean up politics and unleash the potential the Tories have held back for far too long.

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Our plan for Britain means we can rise to the occasion now – just as we did in 1997.

I remember that time well, and the Labour government changed my life for ever. It was a Labour government that supported me as a young mum with nowhere else to turn. It was a Labour government that helped me when I didn’t have enough money to buy food or heat my home. It was a Labour government that helped me fulfil my aspirations and get where I am now.

Liz Truss may talk about an aspiration nation, but Labour lives and breathes it. My story is a testament to that. While the Tories manage decline and offer crumbs from the table, Labour is ambitious for our country’s future.

We have not only the values and vision but the policies and the plan to make Britain work for its people once again. This week, we will show that it is a Labour government that can meet the moment – and answer the challenge.