'Reset for the UK': New PM Starmer pledges to rebuild trust after years of chaos

  • 2 months ago

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Transcript
00:00For the latest we can cross now to London and speak to our correspondent Bénédicte Péviot
00:04who's been following all of the day's action. Bénédicte, we heard a little bit from Keir
00:08Starmer in that report. Tell us more about what he said in his first speech as Prime Minister.
00:17Well, after seeing the head of state King Charles, freshly from Buckingham Palace,
00:22which is really just a few minutes up the street, but was politically a very long time,
00:2714 years of conservative rule, Keir Starmer arrived with his wife, Victoria, in Downing
00:35Street and there were many people, not just the media, the British media and international media,
00:40gathered here, lots of them, with great interest watching every move. But Keir Starmer and his wife
00:47went up the street and greeted and were embraced by and greeted with cheers. And then he made his
00:54first address to the nation and in that it was very much about vowing to restore trust in politics,
01:02trust that has been sorely tested and that many would agree, indeed we've seen it in polls,
01:09declined very severely, that lack of trust of the British people and British voters in politicians
01:16in general and certainly whether it was Partygate or whether more recently the betting scandal during
01:23the six-week election campaign where many criticised the outgoing Prime Minister, well the then Prime
01:29Minister Rishi Sunak, for not reacting quickly enough and suspending people in his government
01:34who were placing bets either on themselves to win or on themselves to lose, that hasn't helped
01:40restore trust in politics. So this is Keir Starmer, an ex-human rights lawyer, 61 years old, ex-director
01:47of public prosecutions, very much saying that this is crucial, that he understands that he's
01:53going to need to earn that trust, that it won't happen overnight and that he wants a reset for
01:58the United Kingdom and he wants to build a government of service, that word again, a mission-led
02:05government and a government of service, it is to serve the people and to really earn that trust back.
02:12And Benedict, it's already been a whirlwind day and it's not over yet, what's next on Keir Starmer's agenda?
02:21Well he said he was ready to become Prime Minister and he is absolutely doing so, he is appointing
02:30cabinet ministers, so far I'm not aware of any big surprises, so his deputy leader has become
02:38Deputy Prime Minister, that is Angela Rayner, we've got the confirmation that David Lammy is the
02:45Foreign Secretary, we've got Rachel Reeves as Chancellor, Finance Minister and it is the first
02:52time that a woman occupies this post, so that's interesting in itself, don't expect a budget
02:57immediately, that she has made very clear will only happen in the autumn and we've got Yvette
03:01Cooper amongst others as Home Secretary, so some very significant appointments right there, he's
03:10already spoken to the French President Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Macron who has actually tweeted
03:15and saying that he's delighted to have had that first exchange with the new Labour Prime Minister
03:23and that they look forward to working together and of course the two men amongst other leaders
03:29will meet in Washington in the next few days for that big NATO summit, so hard at work already
03:35here in Downing Street behind that famous black door.
03:40That's right Bénédicte and as you were speaking we got an alert from Reuters that Ed Miliband has been
03:44appointed the Energy Security and Net Zero Minister, so another name that is well known in the UK,
03:52Bénédicte thank you so much for those updates, that's our correspondent Bénédicte Paviot reporting there from London.

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