WATCH: Keir Starmer outlines Civil Society Covenant which 'puts people at the heart of Government'

GB News

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addresses the Civil Society Summit in London as he pledges to "rebalance power" between Government and society.Outlining his Civil Society Covenant, Starmer said: "I'm really proud that we're launching that today, because that is really the hard yards of the 18 months since I made the promise."Because it recognises that national renewal requires everyone to play a vital role, not the hierarchical, sort of top down approach of the state working on its own, not the transactional approach of the markets left to their own devices, but a way forward in partnership together, giving civil society a home at the heart of Government."WATCH ABOVE.

Transcript

00:00Now this is a fantastic initiative led by a coalition of civil society organizations.

00:06Now they've worked with the police to tackle the drivers of domestic abuse,

00:12a really serious issue, hard to deal with,

00:17and that is integral to the work that we're doing in government in our safer streets mission.

00:23So today working together in the spirit of partnership,

00:26we're announcing £53 million of investment to roll out the DRIVE project nationally right across England and Wales,

00:34delivering together in partnership, taking up the initiative that you've brought to us,

00:40and recognizing your power to reach into places that governments can't,

00:46combined with the ability of the government to deliver nationally.

00:50Now, for me, that's a blueprint of a brand new way of working.

00:57And today we take one further step with our civil society covenant.

01:03And I'm really proud that we're launching that today,

01:06because that is really the hard yards of the 18 months since I made the promise,

01:11because it recognizes that national renewal requires everyone to play a vital role.

01:17Not the hierarchical sort of top-down approach of the state working on its own.

01:23Not the transactional approach of the markets left to their own devices.

01:28But a way forward in partnership together,

01:31giving civil society a home at the heart of government.

01:36So we're not going to shut charities out,

01:39and then expect you to pick up the bits.

01:41That's what the Tories did for year after year after year.

01:44Nor am I interested in slogans that sound very good,

01:49but end up being gimmicks for government to simply hide behind.

01:54I'm interested in solutions.

01:57So we're working with businesses, social enterprises, private investors,

02:03and with the chances announcement just earlier this week, which you'll have seen,

02:07the largest social outcomes fund in the world

02:10to give struggling families a better start.

02:14Backed by £500 million in government funding,

02:18with plans to match this with up to £500 million more,

02:22from local governments, from social investors, philanthropists,

02:26transforming hundreds of thousands of lives together.

02:30That is about genuine partnership.

02:34Putting your fingerprints on everything that we do.

02:38Take our 10-year plan for the NHS,

02:41which we announced earlier this month.

02:43It's a really important initiative.

02:46We look back proudly at the NHS.

02:48It's been around for 77 years.

02:51But we also need to make sure that in decades to come,

02:54people look back and recognise the NHS was rebuilt and fit for the future.

02:58And in that 10-year plan, we consulted experts, charities and the public.

03:04So every person, no matter who they were or where they're from,

03:09can get the treatment that they deserve.

03:12Look at the incredible work of charities already.

03:16Day in, day out, on the front line,

03:19delivering real change where it's needed most.

03:22So I'm proud to announce an exciting new partnership

03:26between government and civil society today.

03:30Diagnosis Connect.

03:33Now, this will transform the way we work together.

03:37Now, this is a new programme

03:38linking newly diagnosed patients directly to expert charities,

03:43helping them navigate which charities they can get to,

03:46which support they want, a different journey for each of them.

03:49Very hard to make that journey at the moment.

03:52And that's life-changing for people,

03:55looking for information and support,

03:57often at a really difficult time.

04:00Now, that's putting your expertise directly in people's pockets

04:04with the NHS app.

04:06So that's going to go on the NHS app,

04:08which is a central part of our plan,

04:10and then people will have it as their map to the support

04:13of the charities that they need when they've been diagnosed.

04:16What a comfort and security that will be

04:19for so many millions of people.

04:21But I believe that good relationships

04:24need to be honest relationships.

04:28We won't blindside you with public attacks

04:31like the last government did.

04:33We need to do honest about the issues that people care about

04:38and expect us to tackle.

04:41Have the tough conversations

04:42on issues like migration or social cohesion.

04:47Our security as a country.

04:50These are issues where politicians have often chosen

04:52to stoke division

04:53instead of bringing people together to fix the problem.

04:57We'll see you next time.

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