For Starmer to realise his ‘Attlee moment’, he must begin to tell a story of transition. Early last year, as the vaccine rollout ramped up and we dared to consider a future after the pandemic, Keir Starmer appeared ready to capitalise on the public mood. He spoke of reckoning with the “spirit of the Second World War”, of realising that the country faced another “Attlee moment”, and claimed the public would soon be presented with a ‘fork in the road’. A year on, as the next general election veers closer and the people of Wakefield and Tiverton roundly denounce Boris Johnson’s administration, w ..read more

On trial for conspiring to overthrow the Republic, Ancient Roman Senator Cataline was famously asked by fellow Senator Marcus Cicero, “How long, Cataline, will you abuse our patience?”. This phrase has stood the test of time. It regularly appears across the globe on occasions of political strife, typically paraphrased onto a handheld sign imploring a particular leader to do the right thing and step down. Part of its appeal is its simplicity. The pithy question perfectly captures both a sense of exhaustion with the status quo and a deep willing for change. Exhaustion and a deep willing for cha ..read more

In the heady days of mid-summer 2020, the Conservative government elected in December 2019 finally found itself with some leeway to flex its domestic policy muscles. The first wave of Covid-19 had abated and there was much speculation about radical reforms driven by the mercurial figure of “Assistant to the Prime Minister” Dominic Cummings. Fresh from the Barnard Castle debacle turning him into the closest thing to a political adviser can get to a household name, Cummings remained determined to carry on with his project of reshaping the British state. Amid the countless stories about him tryi ..read more

Whilst all the attention has rightly been placed on yesterday's critical local election (and wiser more heavy weight commentators will have cast their interpretations of the results over the coming days and hours) another important election in Labour circles is bubbling in the background. Next weekend Gedling constituency selects a new Parliamentary candidate.  When applications opened on March 31st, Gedling, with a majority of 679 and a little over 800 members, became the first CLP to run a selection process under the Party's new rules. It’s the area I call home and where I was, until r ..read more

On 6th December last year, the Government published its new 10-year strategy for addressing illicit drug use. In packaging the announcement for the press, the Government spinners chose to focus on casual middle-class cocaine users who indulge at dinner parties (presumably, we are left to imagine, somewhere in Islington). Writing in the Guardian, Health Secretary Sajid Javid claimed: “People having a line of cocaine may not think that they’re causing anyone harm, or that they’re playing a part in a criminal enterprise, but they are actually the final link in a chain that has suffering, vi ..read more

Ahead of the local elections taking place in the first week of May, on 14th April our political system entered a period of ‘purdah’, which is supposed to restrict the Government from making any major policy announcements that could have a bearing on the forthcoming election.  Cue a contemptuous Conservative Government and the announcement of arguably the most divisive policy of Johnson’s premiership – sending a proportion of inbound asylum seekers thousands of miles to Rwanda to be processed and settled there. As a reminder that the echo chamber I live in is alive and well, I was ge ..read more

This time last year, we wrote a piece for Labour in Communications on the theme of trust. Trust in MPs, trust in business and, more specifically, trust in Keir Starmer’s Labour party barely a year into his leadership.  Labour is in a much better position when it comes to trust than it was 12 months ago. It does not take an expert in party preference polling to know that an average 4-point lead is much better than an 8-point deficit.  While questions are being raised by some commentators who argue that Labour’s lead should be greater, what is not captured in these figures is the fund ..read more

As Chancellor Rishi Sunak urged the public to look to tomorrow in his Spring Statement last week, Labour figures highlighted in fury that the Conservative government have been in power for twelve years. During this time, they have presided over what is now coined ‘the lost decade’. In this period, growth has become exceedingly low and wages stagnant. Life expectancy has rapidly declined alongside living standards, while regional inequality continues to grow. Public services such as education and health have been cut and allowed to fall into disrepair, with dropping standards compounding ..read more

They say responding to a Budget is one of the most difficult gigs in British politics. The Labour Leadership must be relieved then that next week’s fiscal event is merely a Spring Statement, meaning the Shadow Chancellor, rather than the Leader himself, will be responding. This suits Labour well, especially given Rachel Reeves has impressed since taking over the role last May. Given the country is facing rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, responding to Rishi Sunak will be no mean feat however – especially when you consider Labour still doesn’t have as sharp a message as it could h ..read more

At the start of the year Rachel Reeves MP set out Labour’s plan for a stronger economy and how it would address the key economic challenges facing the UK in the 21st Century.  Any Labour Government will inherit limitations on public expenditure which will restrict its ability to finance reforms. Attracting private capital will therefore be essential to achieving these objectives. Here are three ways in which Labour can do so. First, meet the City halfway on ESG. Contrary to the caricatures of the Labour Conference fringe, most people in the City tend to care about the ..read more