Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. Well, let's turn back
Speaker 1: to the political turmoil in the UK. Now Cabinet members
Speaker 1: of rally to support the Prime Minister, saving off the
Speaker 1: possibility of a leadership challenge for now. But just how
Speaker 1: stable is Keir Starmer's leadership? Joining us now to discuss
Speaker 1: Labor MP Calum Anderson, who represents the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Speaker 1: Good morning, Calum. Great to have you with us on
Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio. You've posted on social media your message of
Speaker 1: support for the Prime minister.
Speaker 2: Why well, I believe he is the best person for
Speaker 2: the job. Eighteen months ago, the Labor Party, after fourteen
Speaker 2: years in opposition, was elected to a five year mandate
Speaker 2: to deliver change, change in our economy, change in our
Speaker 2: public services.
Speaker 3: And changing the way that we do politics in this country.
Speaker 2: We've obviously been it's not been a very difficult week
Speaker 2: for the government and it's been a turbulent eighteen months.
Speaker 2: First eighteen months in government. We have inherited an incredibly
Speaker 2: challenging economic and geopolitical picture, which means we haven't been
Speaker 2: able to deliver the change that people who live in
Speaker 2: my constituency want but the time for us now, and
Speaker 2: I think last night when the Prime Minister spoke to Labor,
Speaker 2: MP's and peers, was really cleared his determination, his renewed
Speaker 2: determination okay, to lead from the front, and I think
Speaker 2: we owe it to him to support him in delivering
Speaker 2: on his mandate.
Speaker 4: Coimuny to see Kellum. So, how big an expectation of
Speaker 4: change should we have on all kinds of fronts?
Speaker 3: Is this?
Speaker 4: You know, in terms of the makeup of the cabinet,
Speaker 4: the people are in the room when decisions are taking place,
Speaker 4: the nature of appointments, and how we add transparency to
Speaker 4: all that process. I mean, what kind of big change
Speaker 4: of gender are we talking about next?
Speaker 2: Well, I will leave appointments to his number ten team
Speaker 2: to him, ditto the cabinet and the Junior Minister of positions.
Speaker 3: I think it's good.
Speaker 2: It's important that we give them space now over the
Speaker 2: coming weeks and months, giving that we have a new
Speaker 2: parliamentary session. I anticipate later in the spring early summer
Speaker 2: to deliver on that. But what I think the Prime
Speaker 2: Minister recognizes, and I think what I recognize, is that
Speaker 2: if we are to realize the full potential of the
Speaker 2: manifest that we were elected on. We do need to
Speaker 2: integrate and include the views of the whole parliamentary Labor Party,
Speaker 2: all Labor MPs and peers. I don't think we want
Speaker 2: in a you know, we don't want a situation where
Speaker 2: decisions regarding economic policy or social policy are excessively to
Speaker 2: a small type group.
Speaker 4: When you say, all, are you talking about the gender
Speaker 4: in the cabinet or are you talking about the left
Speaker 4: or right spectrum in the cabinet?
Speaker 2: Well, what I would say, you know, it was around
Speaker 2: four hundred Labor members of Parliament. There is a lot
Speaker 2: of experience, a lot of expertise from all intakes. Obviously
Speaker 2: I'm most most familiar with my own. We've had people
Speaker 2: who run their own businesses, worked in finance, worked in
Speaker 2: all kinds of fields, and I think it's important that
Speaker 2: we leveraged that levered expertise because we've got huge economic construction,
Speaker 2: economic and social challenges before us.
Speaker 1: But how do you do that without worrying the markets.
Speaker 1: We've seen the wibbles over the past few days when
Speaker 1: there were questions about whether an artcare starmer would lead
Speaker 1: the party. Going from here, if you want a broader
Speaker 1: share of opinions in policy development. How do you do
Speaker 1: that and not spoke your former colleagues in the City
Speaker 1: of London.
Speaker 2: Well, I don't believe that it is mutually exclusive. That
Speaker 2: we can both be inclusive on our policy making, ensure
Speaker 2: that we're bringing the whole Parliamentary party with us, but
Speaker 2: also not be entirely sticking to our fiscal rules and
Speaker 2: the concept of being economically responsible. That's something certainly something
Speaker 2: that's a non negotiable from my personal perspective. As you said,
Speaker 2: I've worked for best part of a decade ten fifty
Speaker 2: minutes away from the studio, so I know absolutely that
Speaker 2: if we are to ensure that we have economic stability,
Speaker 2: something that we didn't have really for the last decade,
Speaker 2: that we need to stick to those principles of economic
Speaker 2: fiscal probity. That also means we need to recommit to
Speaker 2: our growth agenda so that we could be that on infrastructure,
Speaker 2: that on unlocking domestic pension capital, that we're of really
Speaker 2: supporting those high growth industries, yes, or higher growth companies
Speaker 2: in the industries.
Speaker 3: Of tomorrow where we know that the UK will have advantage.
Speaker 4: So calm, do we need to think about a new
Speaker 4: Chancellor I mean, on the one hand, she has stuck
Speaker 4: to the fiscal rules. On the other, candid conversations, it
Speaker 4: seems between Where Streeting and Peter Mandelson suggests that there's
Speaker 4: a lot of conversation about whether she or whether the
Speaker 4: top team at number ten and eleven has enough of
Speaker 4: a focus on the growth agenda. Are we thinking about
Speaker 4: a new chancellor here, new finance team?
Speaker 3: Certainly not from my perspective.
Speaker 2: Rachel Reeves has my full support and I think has
Speaker 2: the support of the Parliamentary Labor Party, and changing the
Speaker 2: chances that certainly wouldn't be something that I would be considering.
Speaker 2: I haven't read all of the the WhatsApp exchanges between
Speaker 2: west Street and Peter Manderson, but I would say is
Speaker 2: that it is important that we do have a grave strategy.
Speaker 3: That's why I think it's really good that we have.
Speaker 2: We're already advancing pension reform through the House of Commons.
Speaker 3: We have an industrial strategy.
Speaker 2: Which is, as I say, trying to support those industries
Speaker 2: be it digital, artificial intellience, defense, financial services that we
Speaker 2: know Britain has excelled at. And we have a French
Speaker 2: infrastruture strategy. In my neck of the words. In Buckinghamshire and
Speaker 2: Milton Keynes. We have East West Rail set to open soon,
Speaker 2: there's Northern Powerhouse Rail, there's size well and when it
Speaker 2: comes to energy and for structures, so there's all these
Speaker 2: you know, there's all these ingredients for a growth strategy.
Speaker 3: But I recognize that we need to go even for
Speaker 3: in the years ahead.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure you're going to be out on the
Speaker 1: doorsteps campaigning in the run for local elections as well
Speaker 1: as many of your colleagues will be too. How do
Speaker 1: you have those conversations with voters when people are going
Speaker 1: to mostly want to know who's going to be Prime
Speaker 1: minister after the elections.
Speaker 2: Well, I was knocking doors in my constituency on Sunday
Speaker 2: morning and people aren't talking about leadership. People aren't people
Speaker 2: that isn't fore front of their minds. It's not forefront
Speaker 2: of my mind and my colleague's minds either. It is
Speaker 2: about the cost of living. It is about their nhs,
Speaker 2: their schools and making sure that we have an economy
Speaker 2: that works for everyone.
Speaker 3: And that's what I as an.
Speaker 2: Individual member of Parliament, but also my colleagues holding government
Speaker 2: positions are focusing.
Speaker 4: On team do you think, when do you think we're
Speaker 4: going to have you heard, when we're going to get
Speaker 4: further information about the appointment of Peter Mandelsohn and all
Speaker 4: of the background story that's you know, to be published,
Speaker 4: but of course the Metropolitan Police has said certain bits
Speaker 4: can't be or won't be for a while. Any any
Speaker 4: updates on the timing of all of.
Speaker 2: That, I don't have any insight beyond what I think
Speaker 2: we would have seen in the media previously.
Speaker 3: That obviously the Cabinet Office.
Speaker 2: Will be will be processing those documents and they'll be
Speaker 2: published as soon as possible, And I think that's really
Speaker 2: important and.
Speaker 1: A good thing given the majority Labor has in Parliament.
Speaker 1: Are you surprised how difficult it's been to try and
Speaker 1: keep the conversation on policy over the past eighteen months,
Speaker 1: You know, I.
Speaker 2: Kind of refer to my point earlier about that the
Speaker 2: real grave economic inherence do mean that we that we
Speaker 2: inherited in twenty twenty four, be it on growth, flow, investment,
Speaker 2: living standards stagnant. I thought, I personally thought it would
Speaker 2: always going to be turbulent, regardless of you know, who's
Speaker 2: in what positions and you know whatever, because it's not
Speaker 2: easy to turn around the big ship that is the
Speaker 2: United Kingdom economy.
Speaker 3: That's that's why I think and I totally recognize that
Speaker 3: in my.
Speaker 2: Constituents, people you know, your listeners and people across the
Speaker 2: country are really really keen and really eager for change
Speaker 2: and change today, changed, yesterday and tomorrow.
Speaker 3: Unfortunately a lot of the challenges.
Speaker 2: That we face are have no quick fixes, and that's
Speaker 2: why it's so so important that all in government, all
Speaker 2: of us on the back benches, unite behind the Prime Minister,
Speaker 2: the cabin that and I just relentlessly focused on how
Speaker 2: we go our economy, how we get living standards upcast
Speaker 2: the living down, wages up, fixing our public services, reforming
Speaker 2: our public service that they actually are suited for not
Speaker 2: just twenty twenty six, but the next decade and a
Speaker 2: decade after that.
Speaker 3: So that's what we need to be focusing on.
Speaker 1: Okay, Callum, thank you so much for joining us calum
Speaker 1: Anders in their labor MP for Buckinghamshire and Bletchley appreciate
Speaker 1: your time on the program. This more.
Speaker 4: Nang