By pandering to red-wall voters with a Tory-lite agenda, the party risks losing its core support and, ultimately, its soul
The Labour party is under new management, Keir Starmer said in his online conference speech last week. But for many, it’s not working. Despite a warm reception in some quarters, in others the speech was regarded as a disappointment. His efforts to win back the red wall, pivot towards patriotism and generally move to the right on culture have left black and minority-ethnic party members angry, and some Labour MPs feeling despondent.
His comments on the Black Lives Matter movement earlier in the summer were the turning point. After staging a photo in which he took the knee, in respect for BLM, Starmer then went on to say that some of its demands were “nonsense” and that the “moment” was about showing solidarity with what was an American problem.
