"Keir Starmer has bought some more time, there is a modest bounce in his polling, and he has had the well-timed fortune of the Munich security conference. His call there for the remaking of western alliances and taking the initiative on European defence cooperation has fumigated the air a little of the sense of imminent demise that has been swirling around him. But it will probably be a temporary hiatus."
"In policy, he has taken stances that have established him in the minds of many people as devoid of principle and compassion. On Gaza, Starmer got it wrong from the start. From his early assertion that Israel had the right to cut off water and power, to refusing calls for a ceasefire and then cracking down on protest (a move now judged as unlawful by the high court), the prime minister positioned himself against a huge domestic swell of distress."
"Feeding into this is his feverish immigration rhetoric and policy. The island of strangers speech; the hectic posting and projection of imagery and footage of crackdown, arrests and deportations; the launch of measure after measure making life harder for those already working and living in the country legally; and for refugees, extending the qualifying time for settlement and ending family reunification. More positions that simply build on the immigration hysteria"
Keir Starmer briefly regained momentum after the Munich security conference, with proposals on western alliances and European defence improving his polling. Persistent unpopularity stems from a range of policy choices and rhetoric perceived as lacking principle and compassion. Early positions on Gaza, including acceptance of cutting water and power, refusal to back a ceasefire, and a crackdown on protest, provoked widespread domestic distress. Cuts to disability benefits reinforced perceptions of callousness. Intensified immigration rhetoric and successive restrictive measures, including longer settlement qualifying periods and ended family reunification for refugees, further fuel criticism.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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