LONDON

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted that the Labour Party’s economic plan will take years to deliver, defending Chancellor Rachel Reeves after a stormy reaction to last week’s budget and opposition accusations that she misled voters.

In an article for The Guardian, Starmer argued that Reeves was right to introduce £26 billion ($34.3 billion) in tax rises and urged voters to judge the government at the end of the parliamentary term.

He said Labour would pursue “a big, bold long-term plan” and warned against “quick fixes,” adding: “We must become again a serious people, with a serious government.”

The Conservatives have demanded Reeves resign, claiming she overstated warnings from the Office for Budget Responsibility about falling growth.

The Office for Budget Responsibility ultimately revised wage growth and tax revenue forecasts upward, leaving what Reeves described as only a “small surplus.”

She defended her stance, saying: “If I was… saying £4 billion surplus is fine… I think you would rightly be saying that’s not good enough.”

Starmer will outline a multiyear agenda on Monday focused on deregulation, further welfare reform and closer ties with Europe.

He will argue that Labour must “take on those on the left and right who only offer grievance,” rejecting both higher borrowing and austerity.