Keir Starmer is, by all reasonable measures, a decent man — someone who has consistently chosen steadiness over spectacle. His supposed “crime” is not malice but naivety: trusting an individual mired in scandal, appointed as a representative of a US administration already drowning in it. Perhaps the infamous “dark arts” of Mandleson would have been a better match for that particular theatre.
He may well have to go. But the real danger is what comes next. This moment cannot be the gateway for a fresh wave of galactic grifters eager to finish the job they began fourteen years ago: the systematic unravelling of the UK.
As Labour prepares to choose a new leader — and by extension a new Prime Minister — this reset must reflect what the broad centre of the electorate actually wants. A clear, unapologetic commitment to rejoining the EU, backed by a majority of voters, would be a powerful first step toward national renewal.
© Ian Kirke 2026
@ iankirke.bsky.social
Title photograph by Paul Buffington on Unsplash