Keir Starmer sets out new pledges on living standards, housebuilding, NHS waiting times and more – UK politics live

Starmer earlier acknowledged the six milestones were an “almighty challenge”.

He said: “We face an almighty challenge to hit these milestones by the end of this Parliament. Like I say we are starting from ground zero: waiting lists over 7 million, housing starts and permission the lowest for a decade, one in three children not ready for school at the age of five.”

He added: “Yes they are risky for us. Country first party second, because that is something we have totally lost sight of in British politics and to be honest across Whitehall as well.”

In language that reflected a phrase used by Donald Trump, Starmer went on: “I don’t think there is a swamp to be drained here but I do think that too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline, have forgotten to paraphrase JFK that you choose change not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”

Beth Rigby from Sky presses Starmer on the point of immigration saying that that he has not delivered.

But Starmer maintains that he will bring down illegal immigration. Says there are basics in government” and “one of them is security and security of our borders”.

Now taking questions from journalists. First up Chris Mason from the BBC who asks about immigration.

Starmer says control of immigration must be delivered. He says the missions are integral to the plan and vows to bring immigration down.

Just a quick summary. Starmer listed his six milestones after saying that a “strong foundation” of economic stability, and security measures had now allowed Labour to look ahead.

The first milestone to reach by the end of the parliament is “higher living standards in every region of the country”. Starmer added the UK was aiming for the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket”.

The second is to build 1.5 million new homes, and the third to put “more police on the beat, stamping out anti-social behaviour in every community”.

Starmer’s fourth milestone is to give every child the “best start in life” with a record number of five-year-olds entering school “ready to learn”.

His fifth milestone is clean power by 2030, “so never again can a tyrant like Putin attack the living standards of working people”.

And his sixth and final milestone was to cut NHS waiting lists to 18 weeks between referral and treatment.

Starmer said there would be “trade-offs” that needed to be made as part of the plan to change the country.

He said:

Starmer says we will send a very clear message to the “alliance of naysayers. We will say you no longer have the upper hand. Britain says yes!”

He says we will build a new country with urgency: there is a growing impatience with traditional politics. Populism is not the answer to Britain’s problems. We are still a “pragmatic nation”, he says, adding that people want a “stable economy” and an NHS that is fit for the future, a better future for their children. We will deliver on this mission, says Starmer.

The Prime Minister said the new milestones would allow the public to “hold our feet to the fire”.

Sir Keir Starmer said: “I make no apologies for sticking to our plan and no apologies for fixing the eyes of Whitehall not on the distraction of Westminster but on the long-term good of our country.

“However, to drive those missions forward in this parliament and show our progress towards them, today we publish new milestones.”

He said they would “give the British people the power to hold our feet to the fire, because that accountability, that is part of how we shift the focus in Westminster towards long-term change”.

Sir Keir said the plan would amounted to a “gauntlet being thrown down” to Whitehall to change the way the administration of government works.

“Our plan commits Whitehall to mission-led government, an approach to governing that won’t just deliver change, but also change the nature of governing itself.”

Starmer starts to outline his pledges.

He says there will be:

- Clean energy by 2030, so the UK does not have to rely on Russia
- higher living standards, Britain rebuilt with 1.5 million new homes

- more police on the streets “stamping out anti-social behaviour in every community”

- children being given “the best start in life”.

- NHS waiting lists cut - with the 18-week target from referral to treatment.

Starmer says the fundamentals of economic and national security have never changed. That Lab oour will not “walk away” from working class people and that is “not just about immigration”.

He says the Tories last control of immigration, with zero regard for the damage of trust in politics.

He vows to deal with migration and the economy. “We are not hanging around, we will clear the asylum backlog….that is what dealing with problem looks like".”

”This is not a ridiculous gimmick”.

Starmer says we “need to clear up the mess” but no decisions are straightforward. There is a trade-off that we must “face together”.

To applause, he says: “country first, party second”.

He makes no apologies for sticking to his plan and “drive his mission forward” and today the government will shift the focus in Westminster to long-term change.