New year, new Keir

Sir Keir Starmer highjacked the “Take Back Control” Brexit slogan in his New Year speech today, promising a massive power shift from Westminster to local government as part of his vision for the UK under Labour.

In a neat twist on Vote Leave’s mantra, Starmer proposed a “Take Back Control Bill” which would devolve new powers to local communities and give them the right to request more authority from central government. “The control people want is control of their lives and their communities,” Sir Keir said.

He made the comments in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London this morning, metres away from where Rishi Sunak delivered his own speech yesterday. Starmer seems to have settled into his own skin. His speech was bordering on passionate, with flecks of personal experience sprinkled in. It was better than Sunak’s, who always seems to be addressing a precocious toddler.  

The content was also more compelling. Starmer – who admittedly had a much easier job – attacked the “sticking-plaster politics of the last 13 years” and accused Westminster of being part of the problem. But in a notable shift to the centre-ground, he said he won’t be getting out “the big cheque book” to solve the nation’s woes and praised the private sector for creating wealth.

Reaction to the speech on the left has been mixed. Corbynite Labour group Momentum criticised Starmer for failing to commit to Labour’s manifesto pledge to scrap tuition fees. And Starmer’s cheque book remark prompted Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, formerly Labour’s single biggest financial backer, to demand assurances that the party will not return to austerity.

It was interesting that Starmer didn’t shy away from talking about Brexit, a topic Labour has been loath to touch in recent months. While Starmer voted Remain and backed a second referendum, he said that when touring the country campaigning to stay in the EU, he couldn’t disagree with the fundamental reasons Leave voters gave. “People wanted public services they could rely on. High streets they could be proud of. Opportunities for the next generation,” he said. Who knows if it’s true, but it came across as genuine.

Another notable shift: Starmer spoke as if Labour had already won the next general election (“we’re going to inherit”, “we won’t be doing that”). Danger of hubris, yes, but he will hope the assertion becomes self-fulfilling. Labour’s 22-point poll lead allows him to plausibly portray the party as the government-in-waiting. Starmer spoke of a “decade of national renewal”.

In political terms, there’s an awfully long way to go before 2024. Even so, Starmer sounded more than ever before like the leader of a party on the brink of power.

Write to us with your comments to be considered for publication at letters@reaction.life