Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. Well, let's turn back to the political turmoil in the UK. Now Cabinet members of rally to support the Prime Minister, saving off the possibility of a leadership challenge for now. But just how stable is Keir Starmer's leadership? Joining us now to discuss Labor MP Calum Anderson, who represents the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. Good morning, Calum. Great to have you with us on
Bloomberg Radio. You've posted on social media your message of support for the Prime minister.
Why well, I believe he is the best person for the job. Eighteen months ago, the Labor Party, after fourteen years in opposition, was elected to a five year mandate to deliver change, change in our economy, change in our public services.
And changing the way that we do politics in this country.
We've obviously been it's not been a very difficult week for the government and it's been a turbulent eighteen months.
First eighteen months in government. We have inherited an incredibly challenging economic and geopolitical picture, which means we haven't been able to deliver the change that people who live in my constituency want but the time for us now, and I think last night when the Prime Minister spoke to Labor, MP's and peers, was really cleared his determination, his renewed determination okay, to lead from the front, and I think we owe it to him to support him in delivering on his mandate.
Coimuny to see Kellum. So, how big an expectation of change should we have on all kinds of fronts?
Is this?
You know, in terms of the makeup of the cabinet, the people are in the room when decisions are taking place, the nature of appointments, and how we add transparency to all that process. I mean, what kind of big change of gender are we talking about next?
Well, I will leave appointments to his number ten team to him, ditto the cabinet and the Junior Minister of positions.
I think it's good.
It's important that we give them space now over the coming weeks and months, giving that we have a new parliamentary session. I anticipate later in the spring early summer to deliver on that. But what I think the Prime Minister recognizes, and I think what I recognize, is that if we are to realize the full potential of the manifest that we were elected on. We do need to integrate and include the views of the whole parliamentary Labor Party,
all Labor MPs and peers. I don't think we want in a you know, we don't want a situation where decisions regarding economic policy or social policy are excessively to a small type group.
When you say, all, are you talking about the gender in the cabinet or are you talking about the left or right spectrum in the cabinet?
Well, what I would say, you know, it was around four hundred Labor members of Parliament. There is a lot of experience, a lot of expertise from all intakes. Obviously I'm most most familiar with my own. We've had people who run their own businesses, worked in finance, worked in all kinds of fields, and I think it's important that we leveraged that levered expertise because we've got huge economic construction, economic and social challenges before us.
But how do you do that without worrying the markets. We've seen the wibbles over the past few days when there were questions about whether an artcare starmer would lead the party. Going from here, if you want a broader share of opinions in policy development. How do you do that and not spoke your former colleagues in the City of London.
Well, I don't believe that it is mutually exclusive. That we can both be inclusive on our policy making, ensure that we're bringing the whole Parliamentary party with us, but also not be entirely sticking to our fiscal rules and the concept of being economically responsible. That's something certainly something
that's a non negotiable from my personal perspective. As you said, I've worked for best part of a decade ten fifty minutes away from the studio, so I know absolutely that if we are to ensure that we have economic stability, something that we didn't have really for the last decade, that we need to stick to those principles of economic
fiscal probity. That also means we need to recommit to our growth agenda so that we could be that on infrastructure, that on unlocking domestic pension capital, that we're of really supporting those high growth industries, yes, or higher growth companies in the industries.
Of tomorrow where we know that the UK will have advantage.
So calm, do we need to think about a new Chancellor I mean, on the one hand, she has stuck to the fiscal rules. On the other, candid conversations, it seems between Where Streeting and Peter Mandelson suggests that there's a lot of conversation about whether she or whether the top team at number ten and eleven has enough of a focus on the growth agenda. Are we thinking about a new chancellor here, new finance team?
Certainly not from my perspective.
Rachel Reeves has my full support and I think has the support of the Parliamentary Labor Party, and changing the chances that certainly wouldn't be something that I would be considering. I haven't read all of the the WhatsApp exchanges between west Street and Peter Manderson, but I would say is that it is important that we do have a grave strategy.
That's why I think it's really good that we have.
We're already advancing pension reform through the House of Commons.
We have an industrial strategy.
Which is, as I say, trying to support those industries be it digital, artificial intellience, defense, financial services that we know Britain has excelled at. And we have a French infrastruture strategy. In my neck of the words. In Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. We have East West Rail set to open soon, there's Northern Powerhouse Rail, there's size well and when it comes to energy and for structures, so there's all these you know, there's all these ingredients for a growth strategy.
But I recognize that we need to go even for in the years ahead.
And I'm sure you're going to be out on the doorsteps campaigning in the run for local elections as well as many of your colleagues will be too. How do you have those conversations with voters when people are going to mostly want to know who's going to be Prime minister after the elections.
Well, I was knocking doors in my constituency on Sunday morning and people aren't talking about leadership. People aren't people that isn't fore front of their minds. It's not forefront of my mind and my colleague's minds either. It is about the cost of living. It is about their nhs, their schools and making sure that we have an economy that works for everyone.
And that's what I as an.
Individual member of Parliament, but also my colleagues holding government positions are focusing.
On team do you think, when do you think we're going to have you heard, when we're going to get further information about the appointment of Peter Mandelsohn and all of the background story that's you know, to be published, but of course the Metropolitan Police has said certain bits can't be or won't be for a while. Any any updates on the timing of all of.
That, I don't have any insight beyond what I think we would have seen in the media previously.
That obviously the Cabinet Office.
Will be will be processing those documents and they'll be published as soon as possible, And I think that's really important and.
A good thing given the majority Labor has in Parliament. Are you surprised how difficult it's been to try and keep the conversation on policy over the past eighteen months, You know, I.
Kind of refer to my point earlier about that the real grave economic inherence do mean that we that we inherited in twenty twenty four, be it on growth, flow, investment, living standards stagnant. I thought, I personally thought it would always going to be turbulent, regardless of you know, who's in what positions and you know whatever, because it's not easy to turn around the big ship that is the United Kingdom economy.
That's that's why I think and I totally recognize that in my.
Constituents, people you know, your listeners and people across the country are really really keen and really eager for change and change today, changed, yesterday and tomorrow.
Unfortunately a lot of the challenges.
That we face are have no quick fixes, and that's why it's so so important that all in government, all of us on the back benches, unite behind the Prime Minister, the cabin that and I just relentlessly focused on how we go our economy, how we get living standards upcast the living down, wages up, fixing our public services, reforming our public service that they actually are suited for not just twenty twenty six, but the next decade and a decade after that.
So that's what we need to be focusing on.
Okay, Callum, thank you so much for joining us calum Anders in their labor MP for Buckinghamshire and Bletchley appreciate your time on the program. This more.
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