Oh dear. Keir Starmer today marks his first 100 days in 10 Downing Street, but he has little cause for celebration amid tanking poll ratings and reports of staff unease over his grip on the government.
When Starmer first entered 10 Downing Street, there were predictions across the commentariat that his arrival would herald a more stable period and mean the adults were back in the room. So, how do the pundits see it now? The papers are stocked with long reads and analysis on how Starmer is doing. In short, he’s not doing great. Mr S has rounded up the highlights – or perhaps more accurately the lowlights – below:
The New Yorker: ‘Keir Starmer’s Bafflingly Bad Start as the U.K.’s Prime Minister’
The good news: Starmer is being noticed across the pond. The bad news: what the Yanks have seen, they don’t much like. The left-leaning journal – in a piece by Sam Knight – describes Starmer’s debut as ‘underwhelming in the extreme’ and quotes a Blair era official describing the lack of plan for government as ‘unforgiveable’:
The first hundred days of the new Labour government have been underwhelming in the extreme. As Prime Minister, Starmer has delivered a minor scandal over alleged corruption, a lot of office gossip, and a depressing atmosphere of economic constraint.
Sky News: Starmer’s first 100 days in office: the verdict is in, and it isn’t good
There was a time when Tory aides would complain that the Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby was too soft on Keir Starmer and his ministers in comparison to their Conservative counterparts. Rigby was one of the lucky hacks given a tour of Angela Rayner’s election bus (complete with a fridge). These days, it’s Labour figures who are struggling to come to terms with the broadcaster’s editorial line. On Starmer’s 100 days, Rigby concludes they have been a ‘horrible waste‘:
His government got so lost in itself it forgot to tell the story of change and show that story to the public.
The Guardian: ‘His government has been beset by rows not just over donations and internal power struggles at No 10’
Despite a lively internal staff debate, the Guardian endorsed Keir Starmer wholeheartedly in the general election. However, the paper now seems less enthusiastic. In a long read for the Saturday edition of the paper, political editor Pippa Crerar hints that this could be more serious than early day jitters:
Yet even those close to him accept he doesn’t always appreciate how aloof that approach might appear. “We all hope it’s teething troubles,” one senior Labour politician confides. “But we all worry in case it’s something worse.”
The Times: ‘Rarely has a new administration blundered so badly in so short a time’
There was much disappointment among Keir Starmer’s top team when The Times failed to endorse Labour ahead of the general election – instead calling for Starmer to offer greater clarity on his plans for government. So, Saturday’s leader column will likely make for equally unhappy reading:
There is, in truth, little to celebrate. Freeloading, infighting, catastrophising – rarely has a new administration blundered so badly in so short a time. New governments, especially those succeeding worn-out administrations of the opposing party, usually enjoy a honeymoon. Instead, the flight has been cancelled and the luxury hotel double-booked.
BBC: ‘The surprises of the first 100 days have been nasty ones’
Conservative MPs have been vocal when it comes to accusing the BBC of bias in how it covers the Labour government compared to the Tories. Plenty of calls were made on this topic during the election campaign. However, a few months in and Starmer is not having the easiest ride when it comes to the Beeb. In a think piece to mark Starmer’s 100 days, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg writes of ‘slips and accusations of sleaze’:
There’s been a Downing Street staffers’ soap opera. A slump in the polls. Ructions in the party about a plan to take cash away from millions of pensioners. That’s the stuff of Labour nightmares.
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