Five Years Hard Labour

Labour's strategy of endlessly alienating its natural supporters, while conceding almost every argument to its opponents on the right, is a recipe for defeat

Keir Starmer’s entry into Downing Street last July was a moment of real optimism for Britain after 14 years of cruelty and chaos under the Conservatives.

As I wrote in this newsletter at the time, there were real reasons for hope about what a Labour Government could do, even if there were also some reasons for concern.

Yet as we approach the end of Starmer’s first year as Prime Minister such optimism has become in increasingly short supply.

Instead, on almost every area - from public services, to welfare, to immigration - Starmer is failing to reverse the damage done by consecutive Conservative Governments.

And in some cases he has gone even further than his predecessors ever dared.