Sir Keir Starmer has said “it will take some time” before living standards improve in the UK as he faced a grilling from senior MPs.
The prime minister said “we want people to feel better off” but warned his government could not fix everything “by Christmas”.
He was facing the chairs of several parliamentary committees in his first appearance in front of the powerful liaison committee.
Politics latest:
Starmer’s spikey first exchange with ‘super committee’
Sir Keir said the increase in the national living wage was a “pay rise for the three million who are the lowest paid” and public sector workers were also feeling the benefit of pay increases.
“In addition to that, the measures that we put in place will improve living standards,” he said.
He added: “It will take some time, of course it will.
“One of the biggest mistakes, I think, in the last 14 years was the idea that everything could be fixed by Christmas. It can’t.”
He said planning how to fix things “will take time”, as will changing regulations to ensure growth can happen.
The prime minister said the October budget, which has been criticised by several sections of society, was about “stabilising the economy”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
But the prime minister added more needs to be done to grow the economy, with planning reforms a key concern.
The government’s plan to build 1.5 million houses over the next five years will happen, he said.
“I accept it’s difficult, I accept its stretching. But it’s hugely important,” he added.
Sir Keir also defined “blockers” after he pledged to “back the builders, not the blockers”
Blockers are those who say the UK “shouldn’t have targets” for housebuilding and those who argue “we shouldn’t build here”, he added.
The prime minister gave an example of wind turbines taking 13 years to be installed due to planning objections and delays connecting them to the energy grid.
Follow our channel and never miss an update
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
