KEIR STARMER’S authoritarian inclinations, highlighted a year ago by Peter Oborne and Richard Sanders, have become increasingly evident since his efforts to purge the left from the Labour Party.

These tendencies appear to be steering Britain toward a trajectory reminiscent of totalitarian and oppressive regimes, such as Saudi Arabia. This shift is marked by assaults on freedom of speech and journalistic freedom, both of which are essential to a functioning democracy and a healthy society.

In the first two months of a new Labour government, there appears to be a marked escalation in what was already a government war on journalists and on the right to protest, particularly relating to the environment and climate emergency and above all to Gaza.