“Things can only get bitter.” That could be the theme of Keir Starmer’s government, according to a New Statesman analysis that compares the Prime Minister’s downbeat rhetoric to a Maoist slogan from Enver Hoxha. After a landslide victory on a platform of “Change”, Starmer told the nation in his rose garden speech that things “were worse than we ever imagined”, the Budget would be “painful”, there would be “tough action” and “big asks”. Optimism, the article argues, propels progressive governments – and without it, the Starmer government was doomed.
Nowhere is the political mood starker than in Makerfield, where the Conservatives scraped just 1 per cent support in a recent by-election. The crisis of conservatism is evident, but Labour’s own brand has little love lost among voters there. Enter Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, who offers a different vision. Burnham frequently accuses the Westminster political class of being out of touch, populated by people of privilege who attended private schools and Oxbridge, hailing from the capital or the shires of the south.
“Andy Burnham’s optimism contrasts with Starmer’s downbeat rhetoric as Labour faces disillusionment in Makerfield.”
Burnham discomfits political journalists, the New Statesman notes, because he actually enjoys being a political leader and is comfortable in his own skin. The recurring criticism that he is a “people pleaser” is, in the article’s view, a misreading of successful politics. “Precisely which successful politician is a ‘people hater’?” it asks. The critique is contrasted with Starmer’s team, which has repeatedly tried to bully Diane Abbott and silence backbench MPs – a closed-mindedness voters notice.
Burnham’s approach is about keeping promises. At a hustings, he said: “So I stick by campaigners that I support. I stuck by the Hillsborough families, I’ll stick by the Waspi women because they deserve some recompense for the unfairness.” The important part, the article says, is the first half – keeping vows made to voters.
As Starmer’s approval ratings slide and the Conservatives remain in disarray, the question in Makerfield is whether Burnham’s personal brand – his optimism, his willingness to defend his voters – can overcome the deep disillusionment with the Labour government. The by-election result may offer an answer.