The Labour leader will need policies, especially economic ones, beyond championing a civic Britishness to outflank political nationalism
Sir Keir Starmer’s first conference speech as Labour leader may not make many headlines. The news will be, understandably, dominated by new coronavirus restrictions. In the crisis Sir Keir recognised an opportunity to stamp his leadership on the party, saying it had deserved to lose at the last election while downplaying his own role in the loss.
Sir Keir, noticeably, reached out to former Labour voters who turned their backs on the party in 2019 by wrapping himself in a union jack. It was a risky address for a cautious politician. He is unlikely to have made such a speech from the dais of a conference hall, where reception from party members may have been muted at best and hostile at worst.
