Downtown in Business group chair and chief executive Frank McKenna offers his reflections on a special Labour Party reception hosted in London this week.
It was a fiery and defiant Keir Starmer that addressed a gathering of business supporters who had come together to ‘celebrate’ Labour’s first year anniversary in government at an event in London on Wednesday night.
“We achieve 96 things and get 4 things wrong. And it is the 4 things that we focus on and obsess about” he said, before listing a whole range of achievements that he and his cabinet have delivered over the past twelve months, including getting 100,000 extra kids on free school meals, introducing free nursey places for children from 9 months old, delivering 4.5 million additional appointments in the NHS, securing trade deals with India and the US – “the Tories tried to do that for eight years and failed. It took a lefty lawyer to get it over the line” he quipped- a reset in the relationship with the EU, and a massive boost of £120m inward investment into the UK this year.
It was an impressive performance from the PM, warmly received by his friendly audience. But two questions dominated the conversations afterwards. With such an impressive list of things delivered, why hasn’t Labour been able to come up with a story, a narrative that projects these messages to the country in a more effective fashion – and why don’t we see more of THIS Keir Starmer?
The other thing I would have to add is that the government has, sadly, got more than four things wrong. And the big errors have been largely unforced. The Winter Fuel Allowance, an overreach on National Insurance, and the botched welfare benefits reform which has culminated with the suspension of four Labour MPs being the stand-out, but not the only, cock-up’s.
Talking to Labor MPs earlier in the day, it is clear that they, too, are frustrated. But, like me, and many in that reception, they believe the government still has time to turn things around. Some are impatiently suggesting that they have until the local elections – calmer voices say twelve months.
Either way, Starmer and his team will know that, achievements or not, anymore unnecessary errors will see a further of erosion of Labour support – and the second term that Starmer wants to secure will be but a pipe dream.
