Its own opposition: Labour’s conference was all about in-fighting

As the Tories faced multiple crises this week, Keir Starmer’s party was busy in Brighton doing what it does best: arguing with itself. The Labour conference has been dominated by internal rows about rule changes, a shadow cabinet resignation and whether or not Tories can be called ‘scum’.

Labour’s failure to focus on the chaos at petrol stations or chastise the Tories for incompetence was enough to baffle international visitors. ‘Why didn’t Starmer start conference at a petrol station in Brighton trying to fill people’s cars?’ one experienced diplomat asked me. ‘It would have been everywhere.’

It is a good question. The fuel crisis is a rare political event that affects most people. Labour could have hammered the government relentlessly, pointing to how ministers were asleep at the wheel as the crisis worsened. ‘That’s what people across the country are talking about, but we’re not even a part of that conversation,’ says one Labour MP. ‘It’s like being in an alternate universe,’ adds one worn-down attendee.

Starmer had hoped to use the conference to end his party’s navel-gazing and outline his vision to the country. While he made some progress on this with his leader’s speech, the conference headlines haven’t been exactly what Team Starmer pictured. One of Starmer’s former aides came out to denounce his leadership. The word ‘cervix’ trended on social media after Starmer said in an interview that it was wrong to say only women have one. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’s debut conference speech was overshadowed by the news that Andy McDonald, an ally of the now-exiled Jeremy Corbyn, had quit the shadow cabinet. McDonald’s resignation was such a debacle that Starmer’s supporters claimed it was a plot by ousted Corbynites to undermine the party’s leadership.