Starmer’s Getting it in the Neck from Both Left and Right. In Reality, He’s Getting it Spot On

Its been just over a hundred days now since Keir Starmer was handed the keys to No.10, achieving Labour’s largest landslide since 1997. Since then Keir has come under, in my view, ridiculous criticism from both the left and the right. However, Starmer is playing the long game by getting the necessary and difficult decisions out of the way at the start of the government in the hope of better days in the coming years.

Firstly, before even getting into office, Keir Starmer achieved pretty much the unthinkable. Just short of five years after Labour suffered its worst defeat since 1935 at the hands of Jeremy Corbyn, Starmer managed to achieve a majority only seen a handful of times in post war Britain, becoming only the fifth Labour leader to take the party from opposition to government in the party’s 124-year history. 

The first criticism of the Starmer government came mainly from the right, in the early days of his tenure when riots ensued across the country. Bizarrely, having only been in power for two weeks, the blame was placed at his front door. In fact, it was his swift action which brought the disorder to a halt so quickly. Fast tracking and televising the perpetrators through the courts so quickly, and not being afraid to order judges to hand out hefty sentences, made the riots end in a matter of weeks rather than months as some commentators predicted. 

Another common criticism, this time from both the left and the right, was his decision to scrap winter fuel payments for all pensioners except those in receipt of pension credit. Firstly, the basis of universalism is ultimately flawed at the first hurdle, why should those with multiple properties, perhaps investments in stocks and shares and maybe even a holiday home abroad be in receipt of a universal benefit, purely because they have reached the state pension age? The criticism from the left comes purely from an ideological point of view, one of the utmost hatred of Starmer as he was successful in leading Labour to victory and their hero was a complete failure and secondly from this mistaken view that the government’s role is to provide everything to everyone. The criticism from the right is slightly odder in my view, I have never known the Conservatives, or any centre-right thinker for that matter, argue in favour of universalism. The whole foundation of Conservatism is that of Hobbes et al who argued for Paternalism and help targeted to those that need it most. As Thatcher once said, “A hand up, not a handout.”

The most recent critique comes from the anticipated tax rises on the way in the budget. Again, the left continues with their ideological mantras that we can simply ‘tax the rich’ and all our problems would go away, when in fact raising taxes on the wealthiest would actually create more problems. In the UK, the top 10% of income taxpayers contribute to over 60% of income tax receipts. Raising taxes on this sector of society would squeeze them out of the country and the British tax system all together. Starmer is doing what very few politicians of the last decade have been brave enough to do, be honest with the British people about the reality of the public purse. Unfortunately, if we wish to have the level of public services which we have come to want and indeed expect, we have no option but to each pay a little bit more towards them or prepare for massive cuts to public expenditure. An ageing population, coupled with record levels of immigration are increasing pressure on our public services and the only way in which we combat this is by increasing taxation on the general population. 

In the end, Starmer has been bold and courageous in his opening months as Prime Minister. Although the Daily Mail and loud shouters on social media may have you believe otherwise, Starmer has actually took the issues facing the country head on and been honest in sharing the stark reality which faces modern Britain with the public. My message to the nay-sayers? Give him a few more years and let’s reevaluate the position the country is in then, regardless of whether you are left or right, it would be unwise at best to judge a government purely on the first three months in office.

Words by James Childs

Cover Image Credit: 10 Downing Street