Keir Starmer is marking a year as leader of the Labour party in which one issue has dominated above all else. The Guardian’s political editor, Heather Stewart, examines where the party is heading under his leadership
When, a year ago today, Sir Keir Starmer took over the Labour party leadership, it went almost unnoticed in a country suddenly locked down and terrified about the prospect of an out-of-control pandemic. He had campaigned with a message of unity in a bitterly divided party still coming to terms with its worst election defeat in a generation.
The Guardian’s political editor, Heather Stewart, tells Anushka Asthana that it has been an up-and-down year for the new leader. He found his poll ratings soaring as the government’s failure to control the outbreak or protect its health workers with enough PPE became apparent. His strategy of offering broad support with targeted criticisms won him praise, as did his performances in the Commons where several times he got the better of Boris Johnson at PMQs.
