British Starmer to set out detailed policy targets

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will set out more detailed policy targets to achieve the government's five main goals, including in economic growth, healthcare, crime and green energy, as his party approaches five months in power. Starmer said he would set out a 'plan for change' in the next phase of delivering goals including the fastest sustained growth in the Group of Seven advanced economies, halving levels of serious violent crime, lowering energy bills and improving state-provided healthcare. Mission-led government does not mean picking milestones because they are easy or will happen anyway.

Government ministers and officials would be told to focus on these goals rather than individual ministries' traditional priorities, Starmer's office added. Senior Labour minister Pat McFadden said the plan would include immigration - a key voter concern according to polls - but it would not set numerical targets. Official data showed net migration reached a record of more than 900,000 in the year to June 2023. — Reuters