Keir Starmer pledges publicly funded energy company in pitch to be UK PM


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

The UK's opposition Labour Party would create a publicly owned energy company in its first year in power, Sir Keir Starmer has pledged.

The new policy was announced in the leader's speech to the Labour conference in Liverpool on Tuesday to sustained applause.

Sir Keir said Great British Energy, a new company, would take advantage of opportunities for clean power.

Of its public ownership, he said it would provide "British power to the British people".

Sir Keir's speech was mainly focused on criticism of the governing Conservatives' tax cutting mini-budget, which "crashed the economy" to offer tax cuts to the rich.

He was speaking after a new YouGov survey released on Tuesday put Labour 17 points ahead of the Tories, the party's greatest lead since the firm started polling in 2001.

Mr Starmer told delegates the public should "never forgive" the Conservatives for the financial turmoil their mini-budget caused. The measures announced by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday led to the pound falling to its lowest ever level against the dollar on Monday.

He said what the country had seen in the past few days was "unprecedented".

"They've crashed the pound. And for what?" he asked.

"Higher interest rates. Higher inflation. Higher borrowing. And for what?

"Not for you. Not for working people. For tax cuts for the richest 1 per cent in our society.

"Don't forget. Don't forgive."

Everyone earning less than £155,000 ($166,778) had lost out with the plan, he said. He added that the mini budget had left a "Britain all at sea, where a cloud of anxiety hangs over working people".

"At moments of uncertainty like this, we must provide clear leadership," the Labour leader said.

"We must stand with working people. Meet their ambitions for real change. Walk towards a better future and build a new Britain, together."

Sir Keir said the Tories "haven't just failed to fix the roof, they've ripped out the foundations, smashed through the windows and now they've blown the doors off for good measure".

He promised a Labour government would "get us out of this endless cycle of crisis" with a "fresh start, a new set of priorities and a new way of governing".

He spoke about growing up in a "pebble-dash semi" and said he remembers rising prices.

Labour's first step should be to tackle the cost of living crisis affecting the country, he said.

He said the Ukraine war was the immediate cause of rising prices, but stressed that Labour stood by the Ukrainians and would “never allow imperialism to succeed”.

"Slava Ukraini," he added.

Sir Keir said the war had left the UK unprepared for the economic fallout and soaring energy bills.

"The war didn't ban onshore wind. The war didn't scrap home insulation. The war didn't stall British nuclear energy. The Tories did that."

He said this was "Labour's moment".

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Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs

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GROUPS AND FIXTURES

Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain

Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia

Tuesday
4.15pm
: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico

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Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

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Brief scores

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Pique 36', Alena 87'

Villarreal 0

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Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

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Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

The Porpoise

By Mark Haddon 

(Penguin Random House)
 

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  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

----

Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

Updated: June 20, 2023, 12:41 PM`