The party leader’s Manchester speech outlines what Labour would do. Now he should colour it in
Sir Keir Starmer has often faced calls from supporters and critics alike to clarify what a Labour government would do in office and what its priorities would be. He will face more such calls as the general election nears. As a rule, the Labour leader remains cautious about responding. Critics suspect that is because he has little radical to say. His own reasoning, presumably, is that he is not in the business of putting policies on premature public display that the Conservatives might be tempted to pinch. He also wants the government’s divisions and ineptitude to remain the main political focus. Labour’s polling lead is likely to reassure him that his approach is working.
In a speech on Thursday in Manchester, Sir Keir nevertheless lifted the curtain a little. The speech was not especially inspiring. That isn’t Sir Keir’s style. His theme of “mission-driven” government is designed to reassure, not excite. But the speech was politically clear, strategic and internally consistent. It provided a sharper outline than before of the thinking that will underpin a new Labour government’s more detailed decisions. It also made very clear that Sir Keir takes the long view, and that he is thinking in terms of a potential two-term prime ministership, something Labour has only achieved once in the century and a quarter of its existence.
