Steven Fielding

Can Keir Starmer turn Labour into a credible party?

Keir Starmer (Photo: Getty)

By most measures Keir Starmer has, politically speaking, won the war when it comes to Covid. Since becoming Labour leader in early April he has hardly put a foot wrong, balancing his desire to appear supportive of Boris Johnson’s government during this unique moment of national crisis while retaining the freedom to expose and criticise its many mistakes. But as Britain comes out of lockdown, can he win the peace?

In the early stages of the lockdown voters were uncertain about the new Labour leader and, understandably, rallied behind Johnson: according to YouGov, in April 46 per cent thought Boris Johnson was best qualified to be Prime Minister, while only 22 per cent thought Starmer was. The latest polling now shows both men are on level pegging at 33 per cent. This is clearly cause for celebration in the Labour leader’s office – but it is worth recalling that in the aftermath of the 2017 general election Jeremy Corbyn was also on equal terms with Theresa May. Moreover, about one third of the public currently remain unconvinced by either man. With possibly four years before the next election there is still much to play for.

The YouGov figures suggest Starmer’s rise in the polls is matched by Johnson’s fall, especially as a result of the Prime Minister’s refusal to sack Dominic Cummings for breaching his own lockdown strictures. This has led to a general collapse in public confidence in the government’s handling of the crisis. There is an old saying that ‘oppositions don’t win elections, governments lose them’. Even so, Starmer has effectively highlighted Johnson’s slowness to impose a lockdown, neglect of care homes and confusion of schools reopening, while also actively trying to win back voters lost to Labour since 2010.

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