UNIONS urged Sir Keir Starmer not to deliver more austerity after he told TUC Congress to expect pay and public investment restraint.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said the Prime Minister failed to announce a change of course after “decades of division, austerity and underinvestment in public services.

“Instead of setting out a positive vision to rebuild the economy and our society, he served up more of the same,” he added.

“The politics of austerity will only be ended in practice, not in fine words.”

Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Fran Heathcote added: “We’ve had enough of being told about ‘tough decisions.’

“You cannot solve the problems caused by austerity with more austerity.

“That’s why the TUC has voted overwhelmingly for a campaign of pay restoration across the public sector, which will boost living standards and strengthen the economy.”

A heckler told Sir Keir to “tax the rich” as he warned Congress that government “will not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances.

“And with tough decisions on the horizon — pay will inevitably be shaped by that.”

He insisted the British public sees Labour’s “pro-business and pro-worker”policies “as the most ordinary, sensible thing in the world.”

The PM called for a “politics of partnership” between government, business and workers.

He said: “The British people are not interested in those tired old tropes. This isn’t the 1980s. 

“The mood is for partnership. And not just on pay, on everything.

“To turn around our NHS, give our children the start in life they deserve, make our public services fit for the future, unlock the potential of clean energy.”

In a Q&A, Educational Institute of Scotland president Allan Crosbie asked Sir Keir why he was not lifting the widely condemned two-child benefit cap.

The PM said government will bring child poverty down and has set up a taskforce to look at the underlying causes as “this isn’t an issue that can be solved just by one adjustment in welfare.”

GMB general secretary Gary Smith said Labour’s existing above-inflation pay awards “must be a start and not a finish.”

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said that “only proper investment in services and the workforce can help deliver the growth needed to achieve the real change the country needs desperately.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, who has called for wealth taxes, said: “Change must mean change.

“Labour must rule out austerity mark two and ensure we address the crisis in our crumbling public services and the lack of investment in British industry.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Unions stand ready to roll up our sleeves to help repair and rebuild this country.”

But University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said Labour is allowing universities to “decay,” adding: “Pensioners don’t need to freeze this winter, nor should public institutions be left to crumble.

“This means higher taxes on the rich and massive public investment.”

On partnership politics, a spokeswoman for Momentum warned against “PFI-style deals in the public sector that deliver appalling value for money to the public in return for mediocre services and zero public accountability.”

She added: “The core feature at the heart of Britain’s malaise is the power of corporations over the power of labour. Rectifying this will require an end to austerity policies, major expansions of public investment and redistribution of wealth.”