Sir Keir Starmer was elected Leader of the Labor Party on 4 April 2020, defeating his opponents Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy with 56.2% of the vote.
His victory was an understatement as it came in the midst of the first national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During his time as Leader of the Opposition, he clashed with three Conservative prime ministers and served under two monarchs.
His leadership of the party has brought significant changes to Labor both internally and in public perception, but he still faces significant challenges trying to become the country’s next prime minister.
Here is an example of what Sir Keir has accomplished in the past three years and the challenges ahead:
Achievement: fight anti-Semitism in the party
In October 2020, six months after Sir Keir took over as Labor leader, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released its long-awaited report on antisemitism in the party.
During Corbyn’s tenure in the leadership of the Labor Party, it was found that there were “serious shortcomings in the fight against anti-Semitism and an inadequate process for dealing with complaints of anti-Semitism”.
The commission said the party was responsible for three violations of the Equality Act regarding harassment, political interference in complaints of anti-Semitism, and insufficient training for those handling complaints.
Sir Keir called it “a shameful day for the Labor Party” and vowed to fully implement the report’s recommendations and bring “cultural change” to the party.
In February 2023, the EHRC announced that it would withdraw Labor from special measures 18 months after its damning report.
The Labor leader responded by praising the party’s progress, but said: “Be very clear: the work of rebuilding Labor is not yet done.”
“I don’t see today’s announcement as the end of the road. I see this as a sign that we are moving in the right direction,” he said in February.
Performance: Leading in Polls
Since January 2022, the Labor Party has consistently defeated the Conservatives in most polls, largely due to the previous year’s chaotic political climate.
The latest polls give Labor 46 percent of the vote and an 18-point lead over the Conservatives, who are 28 percent behind.
At the same time last year, Labor was just 4 points ahead, 39% more than the Conservatives (34%).
The party has managed to win over 50 percent of the vote only once since Sir Keir took office – Labor peaked at 52 percent in October 2022 during the collapse of the Liz Truss government.
In the 36 months leading up to the 1997 general election, when Labor won a landslide victory under Tony Blair, Labor’s poll average was consistently 50% or more.
Achievement: Contingency Tax Reversal
Labor claimed victory over the government’s October 2022 decision to impose an additional tax on energy companies, having previously ruled out such a policy.
On her campaign trail, Liz Truss said the surprise tax was “Labor’s idea and it’s just a matter of doing business” before finally introducing such a policy when she became prime minister.
Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate and zero balance secretary, said at the time: “The government has finally adopted the principle of calling on Labor to impose a contingency tax on producer windfalls.
“After several months of telling the country that they were totally against the contingency tax principle, they were kicked and yelled at to introduce it.”
Challenge: courting the public
A recent YouGov poll published by Timenoted that Sir Keir still has a long way to go to convince the public that he has a sound government plan.
When asked whether the Labor leader had done a good or bad job over the past three years of articulating a clear vision for the party, 31 percent said he had done a good job, while 47 percent said he had done a poor job.
Of those who said they did not articulate a clear vision, 32 percent were Labor in the last general election.
But those numbers represent an improvement from 2021, when just 15% said Sir Keir had delivered a clear vision, while 60% said they didn’t.
Speaking at the party’s 2022 conference, Sir Keir acknowledged the magnitude of the problem with voter engagement, saying “the next two years will be tough.”
“We have to be ready, disciplined and focused. Work every day to earn the trust of the British people,” he said.
However, he remained convinced that Labor could win over the public and called the next election a “Labour moment” comparable to the party’s victories in 1945, 1964 and 1997.
Challenge: Plan for the economy
One of Sir Keir’s biggest challenges ahead of the next election will be to convince the country that his party can pursue strong economic policies.
A February poll by People Polling for GB News showed 32% thought a Labor government would be the best way to manage the UK economy over the next three years, compared to 16% for Mr Sunak and the Conservatives.
However, a separate poll conducted shortly after Sunak took office in October 2022 found that voters have more confidence in the prime minister in managing the economy.
Research for I BMG found that 41 percent of Mr. Sunak relied more on economic policy and 39 percent on tax policy, compared to Sir Keir’s 30 percent on both.
When asked which party they trust more in the economy, 36 percent answered Labor and 23 percent Conservative.
This mixed picture suggests that Sir Keir still has some way to go to prove to the public that he and the party he will lead in government can do business.
Task: to ensure the unity of the party
As Labor leader in 2020, Sir Keir has faced the challenge of securing party unity as he tries to contain criticism from the left.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of his speech at the 2021 party conference, he said winning the next general election is more important to him than trying to unite the party, adding: “I didn’t enter politics to vote in Parliament, and also play it over and over and then tweet about it.”
Last month, he launched his party’s local election campaign, stressing that Labor was “positive and united” and that it was “an important step towards the next general election.”
But he is haunted by continued resentment from the Labor left after the party decided to bar former leader Jeremy Corbyn from running in the next general election.
Critics have accused Sir Keir of trying to “purge” left-wing Labor MPs, leaving the party with a few of Corbyn’s closest allies who made up much of Labor’s favorite in the last general election.
Many on the Labor Left also accused the party of dropping out councilors and MPs from their party wing, while Momentum, a grassroots organization representing left-wing parties, accused the Labor leadership of “attacking”.
New rules for Labor Party selection committees mean that the National Executive Committee (NEC) now outnumbers constituency representatives, giving the central party more say in the selection process.
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.