Sir Keir Starmer had been an MP for only a 12 months when David Cameron provided Jeremy Corbyn that now-famous piece of motherly recommendation: “Put on a proper suit, do up your tie, and sing the national anthem.” At the time, Starmer was a political novice, a North London left-wing lawyer, newly elected and studying the ropes below Corbyn, his constituency neighbour and ideological ally. He served faithfully as Shadow Immigration Minister after which Shadow Brexit Secretary. Their politics had been aligned.
During his management marketing campaign, Starmer even referred to Corbyn as “my friend”, a phrase that’s aged poorly given how shortly he distanced himself as soon as ambition took maintain. In his quest for political respectability and energy, Starmer threw his outdated mentor below the bus.
Fast ahead to as we speak, and Starmer has turn out to be the person Cameron’s mom may approve of.
He’s taken the recommendation to coronary heart and run with it. He wears the swimsuit. He sings the anthem. He wraps himself within the flag and performs a pantomime of patriotism. But beneath the costume, little has modified.
This is Jeremy Corbyn rebranded: extra polished, extra cautious, however pushed by the identical ideological instincts.
This week’s Strategic Defence Review is a living proof. No daring considering, no critical new funding, only a rehash of Conservative programmes, relabelled and repackaged to appear like one thing new.
Promises to enhance housing for navy households sound good, however they don’t seem to be backed by new funding or recent concepts.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland veterans are left susceptible to prosecution for his or her service, whilst former terrorists face much less scrutiny. A betrayal wearing pink, white, and blue.
Then there’s the Chagos Islands deal. Billions of kilos in taxpayers’ cash handed over, British sovereignty quietly surrendered.
The world is watching, and Britain’s adversaries gained’t be fooled. They know precisely who’s in cost: Corbyn in a swimsuit, with a greater tailor, and higher PR.
And now the actual agenda begins to indicate. A quiet battle is being waged, not with slogans, however with coverage.
The targets are acquainted: pensioners, farmers, small enterprise house owners, the self-employed, and the households who make sacrific es to ship their kids to personal colleges.
One by one, they’re being ticked off the hitlist. A tax right here. A reform there. Rhetoric softened, however the intent is evident. It’s redistribution and retribution in a better swimsuit.
This is the type of transformation the unique Corbyn, scruffy, blunt, unelectable, may solely dream of.
Starmer is doing what Corbyn by no means may: placing the identical ideology into motion, however cloaking it in patriotism, pragmatism, and polished soundbites.
The swimsuit matches. The anthem performs. But the agenda beneath hasn’t modified, and voters would do nicely to look previous the costume.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2063707/keir-starmer-jeremy-corbyn