DAVID BLUNKETT: Now is not the time for triumphalism - the obstacles ahead are massive

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Labour’s victory was a phenomenal achievement, despite the low turnout. But now is not the time for triumphalism, however tempting. Turning Britain round will require a national effort.

I am confident we can build a better future, but am certain this will happen only if we work together and the Starmer government embraces all people of goodwill, including the millions who did not cast their ballots for Labour.

The road ahead is rocky and the obstacles enormous.

Nothing, for example, is more important than tackling climate change while ensuring a supply of ‘clean’, affordable energy through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric and solar power.

Labour is committed to achieving a national electricity generation system that emits zero carbon within six years. But that is a big stretch.

Sir Keir Starmer holding his first press conference as Prime Minister since his 'loveless' landslide victory which saw Labour walk away with 412 out 650 seats

Britain's new leader and his wife - Lady Victoria Starmer - were all smiles as they waved to the public before entering No 10 on Friday

The couple were clapped by staff as they crossed climbed the steps into the historic building on Downing Street 

We also need to tackle the problem of delivering the power. The national grid is woefully inadequate. Power blackouts are a growing possibility, and the likely reaction to pylons appearing across people’s horizons is a headache for any government.

The fact is that our reliance on electricity will only grow. You can’t operate heat pumps, charge electric vehicles or run phones and computers without it.

Get this wrong, and everything will be at risk. Also, there’s our ability to build the houses we need, to insulate them and connect them to the grid. As things stand, we simply lack the skills.

We need to talk about carefully managed legal migration to help achieve the economic growth needed. The issue of immigration – including the small boats – won’t go away in a hurry. We must find creative solutions with the French, whatever the outcome of their Assembly election today.

The problem of caring for our ageing population is huge and building. We all want to grow old with dignity.

We want to be independent as long as we can, but need a responsive and well-organised care system to make that possible.

Another problem is the ineffective bureaucracy of the NHS and its integrated care boards. What we need is rapid decentralisation, to get health services and local government working together. On the latter, no political party has spelt out ways of providing a fairer or more effective way of paying for it. Some local authorities are already ‘bankrupt’, and within two years many more will join them. The services they provide have deteriorated to a frightening degree.

There is another crucial area on the verge of collapse: the criminal justice system. Decisive action and bold policies are critical to deal with the disaster overtaking our courts, prisons and probation service. Equivocating now will lead to impossible and unpopular action later.

The inside of HMP Reading, which was closed in 2014 and is listed as a Grade II building

The world's second largest offshore wind farm located eight miles from the coast in Liverpool Bay

An NHS staff member helping a patient walk through the ward at Ealing Hospital in London

Labour is committed to addressing concerns about standards of behaviour in political life and to establishing an Integrity and Ethics Commission. This must be a priority. 

Liz Truss trashed our economy and our reputation in her brief reign, but she was right on one thing: the Treasury has a mindset rooted in the past. Setting a new direction will be a major challenge. These enormous changes demand huge political skill because there will be losers as well as winners.

Labour cannot be complacent. In five years, voters might seem unforgiving and fail to give the Party the time needed to implement change.

But in a democracy, it is their judgment that counts.

You can’t blame someone else when you’re in government. So, Labour must be honest with the electorate about the limits to what can be achieved and about the time-scales involved. Offer realism and clarity about what lies ahead.

Above all, accept that the government cannot ‘do it all’, that this must be a collaborative venture. It would be tempting for the Prime Minister’s team to show the same control and discipline in office it had in Opposition.

A group of individuals believed to be migrants brought in to Dungeness, Kent by the RNLI in January 2022

An energy base of solar panels producing green energy in the Tengger Desert in Zhongwei, China

But that won’t cut it. If decisions are not to be log jammed in Downing Street, ministers, must be given the freedom to do their jobs. It’s in the community, town or city that people feel the difference and can tell whether public services are delivering.

That’s why the new government should empower local representatives to help wield into reality their key ‘missions’, which includes tackling crime, reforming the NHS and breaking down educational barriers.

Labour approached the election with caution.

It campaigned with an eye to dampening down unrealistic expectations. But now it must rebuild confidence, to start believing as a nation that we really can do better.