Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to Dover, Kent, May 10, 2024
RISHI SUNAK claims that “Britain stands at a crossroads.” The tragedy is that as far as parliamentary politics is concerned, it doesn’t.
Sunak’s claim to represent the future while painting Keir Starmer as the past will be a tough sell, given almost the only policy difference between the two leaders is that one heads a party that has been in government for 14 years and the other doesn’t. The barbs at Starmer for going from (apparent) support for Jeremy Corbyn to embracing the toxic politics of Natalie Elphicke do highlight the Labour leader’s dishonesty, but public distrust for politicians in general is so universal now that it is unlikely to be a killer blow.
The Conservatives are not unpopular because Labour is trying to depress people, the PM’s feeblest argument. If people feel down it’s because of years of wage depression, unaffordable housing, crumbling services and a world which is frankly more frightening, with erratic weather disrupting our food supply and the looming prospect of war.
While Reform poses as a workers’ party, a credible left alternative rooted in working-class communities would expose their sham — and Corbyn’s stature will be crucial to its appeal, argues CHELLEY RYAN
