Starmer gets full marks for effort on education – but he fails on the maths

Editorial: For such a long contribution to the debate on the issue, Sir Keir had remarkably little to say about how to pay for his dreams

(Dave Brown)

As so often with a speech from the leader of the opposition, there was little to object to and much to commend in Sir Keir Starmer’s latest bulletin on his education “mission”. The problem, as ever, is whether, for all his sincerity and sound instincts, the Labour leader really will have the right focus – and, indeed, the necessary resources – to deliver “opportunity for all” and “a country where we share a stake in every child, not just our own”.

Leaving aside the messianic overtones, the Starmer proposition will surely appeal to parents concerned not just with the cost of living crisis and their own immediate prospects, but those of their children – and indeed to anyone who takes education seriously as an engine for productivity growth and long-term prosperity.

Nations with far fewer natural resources and a weaker industrial history than the UK – such as Ireland, Finland, Singapore and South Korea – have demonstrated how an investment in schooling can transform an economy over time. It is how modern economies become and stay rich. It was also no wonder that Tony Blair famously used to preach that his three priorities were “education, education, education”, which gave a clearer signal that New Labour understood this essential truth.