Not 24 hours after wading into the discussion about the local elections and already something worrying was happening. The denial. Whereas I knew my accusing blame against Keir Starmer would not go down well with party loyalists, it’s worrying to see just how many have buried their heads in the sand and refuse to see what’s right in front of them. Even the Labour leader himself either can’t or refuses to understand what’s going on. Many of the newly elected Labour MPs are reportedly clocking on to what has happened, but as long as there are those in the party willing to defend the current course and dismiss the local elections, mayoral elections and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election as a blip, then the party is as good as toast. Red toast.
Can’t deny progress
The progress the Labour government has made can’t be denied. The scrapping of the horrific Rwanda Scheme, the falling of NHS waiting times and the end of the prolonged and agonising rail and doctor strikes. Where under the Conservatives my trains were almost always cancelled due to industrial action, this has yet to happen under Labour. More progress has been made, it would be foolish to deny it.
Catastrophic mistakes
But it would be just as foolish to give Keir Starmer a free pass because of the good things happening. A lot of mistakes have been made with the poor and vulnerable bearing the brunt. You can do the maths of the specific election results all you like but what does maths matter when you see all those close to you falling further onto hard times?
The argument that well off pensioners don’t need the Winter Fuel Allowance, in Starmer’s words, “just doesn’t hold water” when all you see are pensioners either on or below the poverty line losing it. Any argument in favour of the two-child benefit cap “just doesn’t hold water” when you see how people struggle against the looming threat of child poverty, if not already there. And any argument in favour of the planned disability cuts “just doesn’t hold water”, especially when you have dealt with physical and mental disabilities your whole life and had the door to support shut in your face by successive uncaring governments, regardless of party.
Time to learn lessons
In the recent local elections, 187 Labour councillors lost their seats. 12 from my native Northumberland. And that’s just the net loss. These losses, however, were less of a reflection on local councillors and more a reflection of the national political mood, the UK-wide Labour Party and, most importantly, Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Never underestimate what you learn from speaking to your social circles and ordinary people in the street. For me, the local election results reflected the conversations had on the doorsteps. People were angry about the mistakes made by the Starmer administration and it took centre stage in their minds as the successes of the new government paled in comparison.
The government needs to change direction and stop making the most vulnerable carry the burden of the last Conservative government. The people have been shouting this from the rooftops. So have progressive and some not so progressive politicians. The country is sick of the same old, same old, same old and hundreds of Labour councillors felt the heat of this. If the Labour leadership and supporters of its austerity agenda don’t learn from what has happened, then Keir Starmer’s spell in Downing Street will not continue beyond 2029.
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