British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that he is scrapping his predecessor香蕉视频直播檚 controversial policy to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda as he vowed to deliver on voters香蕉视频直播� mandate for change, though he warned it will not happen quickly.
香蕉视频直播淭he Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started,香蕉视频直播� Starmer said in his first news conference since the Labour Party swept Conservatives from power after 14 years. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 never acted as a deterrent. Almost the opposite.香蕉视频直播�
Starmer told reporters in a wood-paneled room at 10 Downing St. that he was 香蕉视频直播渞estless for change,香蕉视频直播� but would not commit to how soon Britons would feel improvements in their standards of living or public services.
The 30-minute question-and-answer session followed his first Cabinet meeting as his new government takes on the massive challenge of fixing a heap of domestic woes and winning over a public weary from years of austerity, political chaos and a battered economy.
香蕉视频直播淲e have a huge amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work,香蕉视频直播� Starmer told them.
Starmer香蕉视频直播檚 Cabinet features a record number of women 香蕉视频直播� 11 of 25 ministers. Nearly all members went to public schools, another record that is a sharp break from Conservative ministers who have historically come with private school pedigrees.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 proud of the fact that we have people around the Cabinet table who didn香蕉视频直播檛 have the easiest of starts in life,香蕉视频直播� Starmer said.
Among a raft of problems they must tackle are boosting a sluggish economy, fixing an ailing health care system, and restoring trust in government.
香蕉视频直播淛ust because Labour won a big landslide doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean all the problems that the Conservative government has faced has gone away,香蕉视频直播� said Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.
Starmer in his first remarks as prime minister Friday singled out several of the big items, such as fixing the revered but hobbled National Health Service and securing the U.K.香蕉视频直播檚 borders, a reference to a larger global problem of absorbing an influx of migrants fleeing war, poverty as well as drought, heat waves and floods attributed to climate change.
Conservatives struggled to stem the flow of migrants arriving across the English Channel, failing to live up to ex-Prime Minister香蕉视频直播檚 Rishi Sunak香蕉视频直播檚 pledge to 香蕉视频直播渟top the boats.香蕉视频直播�
The controversial Rwanda plan was billed as a solution that would deter migrants from risking their lives on a journey that could end up with them being deported to East Africa. So far, it has cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars and never taken flight.
Starmer denounced it as a 香蕉视频直播済immick,香蕉视频直播� though it香蕉视频直播檚 unclear what he will do differently as a record number of people have come ashore in the first six months of the year.
香蕉视频直播淟abour is going to need to find a solution to the small boats coming across the channel,香蕉视频直播� Bale said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 going to ditch the Rwanda scheme, but it香蕉视频直播檚 going to have to come up with other solutions to deal with that particular problem.香蕉视频直播�
Suella Braverman, a Conservative hard liner on immigration who is a possible contender to replace Sunak as party leader, criticized Starmer香蕉视频直播檚 plan to end the Rwanda pact.
香蕉视频直播淵ears of hard work, acts of Parliament, millions of pounds been spent on a scheme which had it been delivered properly would have worked,香蕉视频直播� she said Saturday. 香蕉视频直播淭here are big problems on the horizon which will be, I香蕉视频直播檓 afraid, caused by Keir Starmer.香蕉视频直播�
Starmer will have a busy schedule following the six-week campaign. He heads out Sunday to visit each of the four nations of the U.K. 香蕉视频直播� England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He plans to meet with metropolitan mayors, regardless of party, saying he香蕉视频直播檚 not a 香蕉视频直播渢ribal politician.香蕉视频直播�
He will then travel to Washington for a NATO meeting Tuesday and will host the European Political Community summit July 18, the day after the state opening of Parliament and the King香蕉视频直播檚 Speech, which sets out the new government香蕉视频直播檚 agenda.
Starmer has had phone calls 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香蕉视频直播檚 Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He sent Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday to Germany, Poland and Sweden.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would open new negotiations next week with NHS doctors at the start of their career who have staged a series of multi-day strikes. The pay dispute has exacerbated the long wait for appointments that have become a hallmark of the NHS香蕉视频直播檚 problems.
In starker language than he香蕉视频直播檚 used before, Starmer echoed Streeting香蕉视频直播檚 description of the NHS as 香蕉视频直播渂roken.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淓verybody who uses it and works in it knows that it is broken,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e not going to operate under the pretense or language that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 express the problem as it is because otherwise we won香蕉视频直播檛 be able to fix the problem as quickly as we need to.香蕉视频直播�
Jill Lawless And Brian Melley, The Associated Press
