Starmer Tries to Reclaim ‘Wealth Creator’ Mantle Ahead of Budget

Prime Minister Keir Starmer used a glitzy London investment summit to proclaim growth and wealth creation the cornerstones of his government, seeking to draw a line under a rocky first three months in power that saw his negative rhetoric about the state of the public finances weigh on economic sentiment.

The gathering of figures from business and Starmer’s new Labour administration attracted pledges totaling some £63 billion ($82 billion) of private investment into Britain, more than double the amount raised at a similar event under the Conservatives last year, according to a government statement. However, as with previous such events, that headline figure appeared to be an effort to inflate the success of the summit, since most of the total consisted of already-announced projects and commitments.