Labour under Tony Blair was good at spin. Keir Starmer’s team is hopeless.This week saw a too stupid by half briefing against leadership challengers spectacularly backfire as Wes Streeting tackled it head on and came out stronger. The public wants the PM to stay at home more and solve the big problems. Making the toxic…
Labour under Tony Blair was good at spin. Keir Starmer’s team is hopeless.This week saw a too stupid by half briefing against leadership challengers spectacularly backfire as Wes Streeting tackled it head on and came out stronger. The public wants the PM to stay at home more and solve the big problems. Making the toxic atmosphere of the advisers the issue is a disaster.
The big difference between government and Opposition is Ministers own the actuality. Opposition can describe a world as they want it to be, and set out how they might get there. Ministers own the current facts. If they cannot defend them then they need to make urgent changes and quickly show they are starting to work. On first coming into office maybe for a year you can blame inheritance, but a year on you have had plenty of time and resource to change things for the better.
There will be more alarums and undermining of the PM all the time he fails to change key areas for the better. He promised smashing the gangs. Instead illegal migration has risen a lot. Instead of strengthening the law he repealed tougher measures the Conservatives were belatedly bringing in.
He promised ending cost of living pressures. Instead he has put inflation up from 2% to 3.8%. He has fuelled inflation with increases in managed fuel and water prices and big public sector lay awards.
He promised no big tax increases. He instead put a big jobs tax on via employers National Insurance, and is now threatening an Income Tax hike.
He promised faster growth and more jobs. Instead unemployment has risen sharply to 5% and last month the economy contracted.
He cannot spin his way out of these truths. He needs to stop people near him talking about a Labour civil war and get on with practical measures to right these obvious wrongs He owns higher taxes, higher borrowing, slower growth and more illegal migration. When will he make changes that tackle these big issues?
