La Jornada – Keir Starmer begins UK tour

LondonThe new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, began a tour of the four corners of the United Kingdom on Sunday as part of an “immediate reset” with the governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Starmer, who said he had a “mandate to do politics differently” after his party’s landslide victory, will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh in a bid to “turn disagreement into cooperation”.

“Meaningful collaboration focused on respect will be essential to achieving change across the UK,” Starmer said.

The tour to build better relationships across the UK is part of Starmer’s mission to work for the people while addressing a wide range of issues.

The Labour government inherited a faltering economy that left Britons struggling with their spending due to fiscal missteps and international economic woes. It also faces a public disillusioned after 14 years of chaotic Tory rule and fiscal austerity that hollowed out public services, including the venerable National Health Service, which Starmer declared bankrupt.

Starmer said he wanted to transfer power from the bureaucratic corridors of London government to leaders who know what is best for their communities.

After his short tour, he will return to England, where he plans to meet with regional mayors, and said in his first press conference on Saturday that he will engage with politicians regardless of their party.

“There is no monopoly on good ideas,” he said.

Starmer is due to travel to Washington on Tuesday to attend a NATO meeting.

Meanwhile, its top diplomat, Foreign Minister David Lammy, visited Poland and Sweden on Sunday after visiting Germany on Saturday on his first trip abroad to boost ties with European partners.

Her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, said on social network X that the United Kingdom is an indispensable part of Europe, and that they are working with the British government to see how it can get closer to the European Union.