Labour

  • Starmer walks the stage

    Sir Keir Starmer has been on a jaunt to New York City in the brightly lit halls of power that is the United Nations. He’s met with an array of world leaders such as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ursula von de Leyen, and Lula Da Silva, to name a few. It’s clearly a good place to meet people.

    In a post on X he’s trumpeted the UK’s standing in the world. He’s clearly felt buoyed by his trip and what he’s done. His speech to the General Assembly also elicited feelings of international cooperation over the problems facing the world such as the Middle East.

    The only problem is the UK faces the hard task of having to negotiate agreements by itself. The likes of NATO and old alliances may seem fitting for some situations, but not others. There’s a large void in international relations that we have to fill on our own. Let’s hope he can do it.

  • Starmer hits back

    Sir Keir Starmer said some strong words over the weekend. He said rioters will be arrested, charged, and imprisoned.

    “The police will be making arrests.  Individuals will be held on remand. Charges will follow. And convictions will follow.”

    After all, a news story like this is not what Starmer needs right now. It doesn’t fit well with his pledges overseas, at least.

    He’s claims he’ll restore law and order by setting police on thugs, but by when?

    Surely we’ve heard this before.

    Our record on protests is a grey area particularly in London, where it really counts.

    It all spills over, and frankly we’re done crying about it.

    It’s where most of our investment goes after all, and the rest of the UK is where the staff come from.

    There has to be law here or there’s nothing left, surely? It’s not looking good for a hopeful Prime Minister.

    Maybe things will change.

  • Tories lose out in Wales

    The general election of 2024 has gone down as a year of seismic changes.

    Nowhere is this clearer seen than in Wales where the Conservative Party have lost all their seats. The decline of a national party from 13 seats to 0 – and the rise of Labour from 21 to 27 – is hardly unremarkable.

    Such a surge in support shows that Sir Keir Starmer has an approach that works while Rishi Sunak did not.

  • Starmer’s war cabinet

    Now the dust has settled on another election year, it’s victor Sir Keir Starmer has to set down to work.

    His work is mostly set before him already. He’s got to fulfil the duties of any ordinary Prime Minister.

    He will do the rounds of Cabinet meetings. He will turn up to Prime Minister’s Questions on a Wednesday afternoon. He’ll also attend speeches, events, and launches of key or signature policies.

    It’s a lot to do. He’s got his work cut out as the UK’s busiest politician.

    In the meantime Nigel Farage will barrack him from the back benches (where Reform UK will likely end up). Also other upstarts will take their opportunity to make a mark in UK politics.

    It’s left to him to make sure he gets it right. A promise of ‘change’ is easy to say but hard to deliver.

    Today, he appointed his ‘war’ cabinet.

    Angela Rayner has taken second place as Deputy Prime Minister as well as the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

    Ed Miliband is the newest Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

    Sir Patrick Vallance – who cut his teeth during the Covid pandemic – is now the new Minister of State (Minister for Science) in the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.

    These are key appointments, as is Rachel Reeves – Labour’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    The way ahead is set out for Starmer already. All he needs to do now is make a success of it.

  • Tory woes, Labour gains

    The Conservative Party are on track for their worst ever election result. According to YouGov, Labour could win 425 seats and the Conservatives just 108.

    The latest data is no indication of the final outcome, but it shows that Labour are pumping hard at the polls to get people to vote.