The local election results from last Thursday were a total disaster for both of the main parties – but for the government – who also lost one of its safest parliamentary seats in the Runcorn by-election – it should feel particularly stinging.
After all, less than twelve months ago, Keir Starmer swept into power with a landslide General Election victory, and although Labour gained just 33% of the Votação nacional, sem dúvida houve um conjunto de boa vontade da maioria do país que deveria ter lhes entregue um período de lua de mel com mais de dez meses.
O que causou um declínio tão dramático? O subsídio de combustível de inverno? O seguro nacional aumenta? Alterações no imposto sobre herança dos agricultores? Cortes de bem -estar planejados?
Na verdade, tudo isso acima. Mas, mais prejudicial do que todos esses erros políticos, tem sido as mensagens, ou melhor, a falta dela, do primeiro -ministro e de seus colegas de gabinete.
para que serve o governo? Economic growth may be the mantra, but without a dynamic narrative that creates the political weather, a story of not only what they are doing, but where the country is going, then isolated tough decisions – even if taken for the right reasons – will be neither understood nor forgiven by an impatient electorate.
There will be no easy fixes for Labour – although ironically the government is enjoying one of its best weeks since being elected with trade deals agreed with India, the Nós, e um corte nas taxas de juros anunciadas nos últimos sete dias. foi - para a economia e para a imigração e controle de fronteira. Por feliz coincidência, a personalidade principal responsável por essa catástrofe é o cara que atualmente lhes está dando a eles o RuNaround - Sr. Farage. Uma redefinição urgente de nosso relacionamento comercial com a UE deve estar no topo da agenda de Rachel Reeves. Eles não estão errados. Assim, por que eles insistem em manter um manifesto que foi (principalmente) escrito em 2024. Para lidar com as mudanças geopolíticas sísmicas que ocorreram este ano, o chanceler precisa se dar mais espaço para o seu próprio trabalho, o seu próprio grupo de trabalho. O absurdo populista de 'gastar mais em bem-estar', 'mergulhar os ricos', re-natcacionalizar tudo o que se move 'e' pare a imigração 'é um coquetel inebriante da política de fantasia corbyn/Farage que, no final, Keir Starmer não será capaz de vender. Isso significa consertar a Grã -Bretanha quebrada - mais moradias, mais projetos de infraestrutura, menos regulamentação e contar uma história de como eles vão fazer isso.
However, if Labour is to take advantage of this overdue boost, it must start to take the initiative on policy initiatives, set the political agenda, and stop trying to please all of the people, all of the time – which has left them pleasing none of the people for much of the time.
Labour needs to be honest with the country about the disaster Brexit has been – for the economy, and for immigration and border control. By happy coincidence, the key personality responsible for that catastrophe is the guy who is currently giving them the runaround – Mr. Farage. An urgent reset of our trading relationship with the EU should be at the very top of Rachel Reeves’ agenda.
Ministers keep telling us that the world has changed. They are not wrong. And so, why do they then insist on sticking to a Manifesto that was (mostly) written in 2024. To cope with the seismic geopolitical changes that have taken place this year, the chancellor needs to give herself more wriggle room beyond her own self-imposed ‘fiscal rules’.
Most of all, Labour – and the group calling themselves ‘Blue Labour’ – really do need to give their head a wobble. The populist nonsense of ‘spend more on welfare’, ‘soak the rich’, re-nationalise everything that moves’, and ‘stop immigration’ is a heady cocktail of Corbyn/Farage fantasy politics that, in the end, Keir Starmer will not be able to sell.
Labour promised change. That means fixing Broken Britain – more housing, more infrastructure projects, less regulation, and telling a story of how they are going to do it.
Stop reacting to the Daily Mail headlines and the Reform Party’s simplistic agenda – start governing – and acting like a Labour government.
