Starmer’s in-tray: 5 challenges dealing with new Labour chief

Even earlier than the coronavirus emergency, the subsequent Labour chief was dealing with a formidable set of challenges.

Here’s what is prone to be on the prime of Sir Keir Starmer’s in-tray.

Coronavirus

In February, Sir Keir Starmer mentioned that if he gained the Labour management he would use the Commons to assault Boris Johnson as “a primary minister with no conviction or ideas”.

However that was earlier than the coronavirus pandemic modified all the pieces.

Now, within the midst of an unprecedented nationwide emergency, with MPs working from dwelling, and the prime minister in isolation, that’s not actually an choice. He might want to discover a manner of holding the federal government to account – and asking robust questions – with out getting private or showing to attain political factors.

He set the tone in his victory message, saying: “Underneath my management we are going to interact constructively with the federal government, not opposition for opposition’s sake.

“Not scoring occasion political factors or making not possible calls for. However with the braveness to help the place that is the precise factor to do.”

However, he added, Labour would “check the arguments which can be put ahead” and never be afraid to name out the federal government “the place we see errors” or “issues not taking place as shortly as they need to”.

He could discover it tough to get a listening to in any respect. Amid the general public’s coronavirus concern, it is not occasion politics as standard. Conservative Social gathering opinion ballot scores have soared to 50%, as the general public rallies around the women and men in cost.

And with social distancing measures in place, the standard media blitz for a brand new chief can be severely curtailed. He could even find yourself being the primary opposition chief to make his Prime Minister’s Questions debut by way of video hyperlink from dwelling. He ought to have loads of time to consider the subsequent merchandise in his in-tray.

Rewriting insurance policies

Sir Keir has shied away from criticising Labour’s 2019 basic election manifesto, past saying it was overloaded with insurance policies.

Labour’s plans for an enormous public spending enhance, criticised by their opponents as extravagant, seem puny alongside the federal government’s coronavirus response. However with the nation successfully on a warfare footing, with probably wartime ranges of debt, a brand new method, and new pondering, can be wanted.

In the course of the management marketing campaign, Sir Keir reassured potential supporters on the left of the occasion with a 10-point plan, together with key Corbyn insurance policies equivalent to nationalising rail, mail and water and repealing anti-union legal guidelines.

However past that and a perception in what he calls “ethical socialism”, he provided few clues to his pondering on coverage.

We do know the place he stands on Brexit, nevertheless. He’s prone to wish to battle arduous to forestall the UK from leaving the EU single market with out a deal on the finish of December, significantly if the pandemic suggestions the nation right into a deep recession.

Tackling anti-Semitism

Sir Keir mentioned through the management marketing campaign that stamping out anti-Semitism within the Labour ranks was a “day one difficulty”.

He’ll wish to ship out a strong message that he has acquired a grip on a difficulty that prompted a lot harm to his predecessor.

In his victory speech, he says: “Anti-Semitism has been a stain on our occasion. I’ve seen the grief that it has delivered to so many Jewish communities. On behalf of the Labour Social gathering, I’m sorry.”

He vowed to “tear out this poison by its roots” and to evaluate his success on whether or not former Jewish members return to Labour.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews mentioned final week that the brand new Labour chief had 4 months to resolve the problem.

Selecting a prime crew

Sir Keir has mentioned he desires to finish the infighting that dogged Labour through the Jeremy Corbyn period, and make the occasion a “broad church” once more.

So the appointments he makes to his shadow cupboard can be essential.

He’s prone to maintain figures from the left of the occasion on his crew, probably together with defeated management rival Rebecca Lengthy-Bailey, however “centrists”, equivalent to Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper are being tipped for a return, in main roles.

His different management rival Lisa Nandy, from the “mushy left” wing of the occasion, might also get the decision.

There may be additionally hypothesis that he’ll perform a purge of backroom employees, together with the occasion’s Basic Secretary Jennie Formby, in an effort to stamp his authority on the occasion machine and sign a break with the Corbyn period.

And he should determine what to supply Mr Corbyn himself, who has been hinting that he want to retain a frontline position.

Making Labour electable

That is essentially the most tough activity of all and, for Sir Keir, the one one that actually issues.

A lot of the eye on election evening was on the so-called “crimson wall” of conventional Labour seats within the Midlands and North of England that fell to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.

However Labour has been all however worn out in Scotland, a basis of Tony Blair’s huge majorities, and has misplaced quite a lot of floor in Wales too.

Some within the occasion, equivalent to shadow well being secretary Jonathan Ashworth, consider it might be heading for extinction if it could actually’t discover a manner of reconnecting with working class voters outdoors London and the South-East.

Sir Keir has spoken a few large devaluation of energy to the nations and areas of the UK, however he is aware of it’ll take much more than that to set Labour again on the trail to energy.