Starmer's reset is the last desperate roll of the dice...and his bet is about to backfire - Mark Oaten
Emily Carver on 'utterly bizarre' decision by Keir Starmer
GB News
When Rishi Sunak pressed the restart button in the last year of his Premiership, most saw it as a last desperate throw of the dice.
Restarts are the last straw for failing governments, an admission that all that has gone before needs to be cleared from memory and a new start and direction is needed.
So, with Keir Starmer pressing the panic button and resetting his Government after less than six months in power, you would be right to conclude that all is not well. It’s been a disastrous start to the Government and highlights the lack of cabinet talent.
John Prescott’s passing a few weeks ago reminded us of a day when Labour governments worked and had some big beasts that knew what they were doing.
The Blair government hit the ground running with a credible cabinet with the likes of Gordon Brown, Jack Straw, Robin Cook and Mo Mowlem, to name a few. When you compare Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Angela Raynor, they simply don’t have what it takes.
Starmer's reset is the last desperate roll of the dice...and his bet is about to backfire - Mark OatenGB News/Getty Images
Things started well with Starmer taking a surprisingly firm hand on the riots but then there were a series of mishaps over gifts of clothes and hospitality - nothing illegal - just pure bad judgment.
You might be able to restart policy, but you can’t draw a line on mismanagement unless you change the team and bring in some wise old media-savvy figures who can spot the cock ups before they hit the airwaves.
If he wasn’t making millions from his podcast, Alistair Campbell would be the perfect choice to reset the Downing Street team.
Mishaps aside, the policy decisions have been appalling. Taking on the pensioners over winter fuel and rural communities on farm taxes were both easily avoidable and had knock-on consequences. Take the NI for businesses, which has fuelled fears over inflation and employment.
The economic outlook is grim: slower interest rate cuts, slower growth, retail and business forecasts down and a stubborn inflation figure.
So, will Starmer’s pledged plan for change work? Setting targets on public services comes with risks - ask Rishi, if you fail then it’s very public and does not allow for factors out of your control that can blow a hole in the target.
The house-build ambition looks impossible; the NHS is close to breaking point and needs funds and restructuring - not more targets - and migration pledges are meaningless without the cooperation of France and others.
It’s rare to have luck and good judgment for the whole of Parliament but to be in such a mess so early on reflects badly on Starmer and his team.
The Tories had a solution for dealing with bad leaders- they kept changing them. I doubt that will happen, but I would take a bet now that there will be a few more resets to come in the next five years.
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