British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that he is abandoning the previous government’s controversial plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda. He emphasized his commitment to fulfilling the voters’ call for change, although he cautioned that improvements would take time to materialize.
“The Rwanda scheme has been completely abandoned,” Starmer stated during his first press conference since the Labour Party replaced the Conservatives after 14 years. “It was never effective as a deterrent. In fact, it had the opposite effect.”
Speaking from 10 Downing Street in a room lined with wood paneling, Starmer expressed eagerness for reform but did not specify how soon Britons might see improvements in their quality of life or public services.
The 30-minute session of questions and answers followed Starmer’s inaugural Cabinet meeting, where his new government began tackling the significant challenges of addressing domestic issues and rebuilding public confidence after years of austerity, political turmoil, and economic challenges.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, so we are getting down to business,” Starmer informed reporters.
Starmer’s Cabinet includes a record number of women, with 11 out of 25 ministers. Most members attended state schools, marking a departure from the private school backgrounds of many Conservative ministers.
“I am proud that we have individuals in the Cabinet who faced challenges early in life,” Starmer commented.
The new government faces a wide range of challenges, including stimulating economic growth, improving healthcare services, and restoring trust in governmental institutions.
“Just because Labour won decisively doesn’t mean all the problems inherited from the Conservative government have disappeared,” noted Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
Starmer, in his first comments as prime minister on Friday, highlighted several key priorities such as improving the National Health Service (NHS) and addressing immigration challenges, which are exacerbated by global issues like migration due to conflicts, poverty, and climate-related disasters.
The Conservatives struggled to control the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, failing to fulfill former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to “stop the boats.”
The Rwanda deportation plan, aimed at deterring migrants from risky journeys, has been criticized as ineffective and costly, with Starmer calling it a “gimmick.” Despite abandoning this plan, the Labour government faces the task of finding new solutions as migrant arrivals remain high in the first half of the year.
Labour will need to address the ongoing issue of small boats crossing the Channel, according to political analyst Tim Bale, noting the need for alternative strategies.
Suella Braverman, a Conservative known for her tough stance on immigration and a potential party leader, criticized Starmer’s decision to end the Rwanda agreement, arguing that it had potential if properly implemented.
Following a six-week campaign, Starmer has a packed schedule ahead, including visits to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland starting Sunday. He intends to meet with mayors from different political backgrounds, emphasizing a non-partisan approach to governance.
He will then head to Washington for a NATO meeting on Tuesday and will host the European Political Community summit on July 18, following the state opening of Parliament and the King’s Speech, which outlines the new government’s plans.
Starmer has spoken on the phone with several world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He dispatched Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Germany, Poland, and Sweden on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced plans to start new negotiations next week with junior NHS doctors who have conducted several multi-day strikes over pay disputes. The ongoing issue has worsened the NHS’s long appointment wait times, a longstanding problem.
Using stronger language than in the past, Starmer echoed Streeting’s assessment of the NHS as “broken.”
“Everyone who uses and works in the NHS knows it’s broken,” he stated. “We won’t sugarcoat or downplay the problem because that won’t help us fix it as urgently as we need to.”
