Read: Sir Keir’s five missions embrace the approach of the best purpose-led businesses

Themes, slogans and pledges can come and go for any political opposition, but what Sir Keir Starmer did in setting out his five missions for Britain today was different.

Since the Conservative Party’s extraordinary collapse in the polls last year, Labour has shown a determination to become a credible party of government. But a major question has lingered in the minds of many voters apparently turning away from the Tories: we may be ready for a change, but why vote Labour? What does the party stand for?
Labour’s Five Missions, ‘a long term plan to unlock Britain’s pride and purpose’, are Sir Keir’s answer to that. The level of ambition in the pledges is clear – Britain achieving the highest growth rate in the G7 is certainly a stretch target, as is the mission for the country to become a ‘clean energy superpower’.

But most important is what the Labour leader is saying about resetting the focus and culture of the organisation he leads to deliver that change. As prime minister, he says, his ‘personal mission would be to make mission-driven government a reality’. And in preparation for that, he announced he has instructed his shadow teams to engage in coming months with groups across society to define how those core missions can be delivered.
In short, Labour under Keir will be a purpose-led opposition seeking a mandate for a purpose-led government. The party signalled its intent to adopt wholesale the approach that has been transformational for many leading organisations.

This is encouraging indeed for us here in the Purpose Coalition, made up of businesses, universities, health trusts and local authorities who define their purpose then use that mission to shape their activities from top to bottom.

Sir Keir’s speech today shows he is not simply thinking about how to evoke the idea of change during an election campaign. He is also serious about understanding – and being held to account for - what is needed to drive genuine sustained improvement in Whitehall and on the ground in communities.

Purpose-led organisations will relish the opportunity to engage with that. Since becoming chair of the business group within the Purpose Coalition, I have been struck by how significantly the purpose agenda has changed the world of business. Where once companies would typically have treated assessment of their social and environmental impact as a bolt-on to be handled by public relations departments, so many CEOs and chairs now realise that their organisation’s wider positive purpose is an integral part of sustainable success.

They are proactive in the communities in which they are embedded and constantly look to build partnerships with organisations from all sectors, including government, to achieve shared aims.

Achieving the highest sustained growth rate in the G7 is close to the ultimate shared aim. For some time, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party has been signalling that it wants strong partnerships with business, and companies have been responding with positive interest but curiosity on the vision. The missions Labour set out today, and Sir Keir’s promise to shape his party’s activity around them, can give direction and focus to that vital shared task of planning meaningful change. 

Lord Walney is chair of the Purpose Business Coalition and a former Labour MP.