I first joined the Labour party in 1969. In 56 years, I have often been disappointed by Labour, in and out of government. But I have voted Labour ever since, because I believe in the values of a fairer and more equal society, which rewards work but supports the weak. But today may be a make or break day for Keir Starmer.
Over the last two years I have remained a loyal supporter. I believe him to be a decent, well intentioned, conscientious man. I believe that his background and experience has given him a unique understanding of the issues which the Labour party has always sought to address. He grew up in a working class family in a council house, with a disabled mother and brother. He had a distinguished career as a human rights lawyer, worked on Northern Ireland’s recovery from decades of sectarian hatred, and he oversaw the public prosecution service.
I believe that millions of voters share his underlying values. But is he the man for the job, and would the long term benefits of change outweigh the immediate upheaval of changing the Prime Minister in the middle of a global economic crisis, a cold war with Russia and two major ‘hot’ wars?
Starmer came to power in extremely difficult economic and social circumstances, and after 14 years of political turmoil and failure, people had high, and probably unrealistic, expectations. He has worked hard with a very difficult inheritance, and has done much to restore Britain’s tarnished international reputation. He has made mistakes, most of them trivial by comparison with the disasters of the 14 Conservative years.
But he has weaknesses. He lacks the instinct for the issues where a rational, logical, action will spark a political conflagration. He often fails to prepare the ground for actions which upset small but noisy groups. And, perhaps because he is at heart a civil servant, he has failed to articulate a clear unifying narrative of where his government is trying to go.
But we are in a perilous position, and sadly, Keir Starmer is the focus. I have no doubt about him as a person, but I do wonder whether he is the right man for the job, and the polls certainly suggest that a lot of people think he is not. Perhaps we need a different leader. But changing Prime Minister is always difficult, and extremely so in the present circumstances. Now is certainly not a good time for a prolonged internal battle in the governing party, let alone a general election.
So, I want Starmer to succeed today.
But what do I want to hear?
I do not want another round of apologies. Over the last decade we have seen too many politicians ‘accepting responsibility’ for disasters, without evidently changing anything much.
First, I want to hear what he is going to do, not in terms of vague generalisations, but actions which will produce visible results. Whether you like it or not, everyone can tell you what Nigel Farage promises to do. Almost nobody can tell you what Keir Starmer intends to do. So, he is perceived to be weak, untrustworthy and incompetent, and every mistake, however small, reinforces that picture. And media, traditional and social, will happily pile on to every slip.
Second, I want to hear him celebrating the achievements. Some independent commentators believe that this has been the most effective social democratic government we have had for more than a generation. It has raised wages for the poorest, taken half a million children out of poverty, given new rights to workers and renters. Before Trump’s war in the middle east there were small signs that economic growth was returning. Full Fact tracks progress against the promises of the 2024 Labour manifesto. Of the 92 key pledges it identified, 61 are achieved or in progress, and only 16 are off track or failed.
We need a government whose purpose is clear and is proud of its achievements. If he can articulate that today, I will remain one of the beleaguered band of loyalists. If not, perhaps the benefits of change are worth the cost.
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