The nine lives of Keir Starmer: The British prime minister buys time until the May elections

"Keir Starmer arrived at Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions with his claws sharpened. He reminded the Conservatives of Boris Johnson's misdeeds; the Liberal Democrats of their complicity in the austerity imposed by David Cameron's government; and Scottish National Party (SNP) of the corruption cases involving its previous leadership. Welldrilled Labour MPs cheered and applauded their leader. The immediate goal was to contain the fallout from the MandelsonEpstein scandal, which had come close to ending the British prime minister's brief tenure."

"The Fabian Society originally adopted as its coat of arms a wolf disguised in sheep's clothing. Late19thcentury British leftwing intellectuals helped launch a movement that championed the intelligent and peaceful use of trade unionism and municipal power to achieve social progress, as opposed to revolution or chaos. The Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus, from whom the society took its name, patiently waited for a mistake by Hannibal before striking successfully the socalled Fabian tactics."

"When the time comes you must strike hard, as Fabius did, or your waiting will be in vain, declared the society's first pamphlet. The Fabians went on to help found the U.K. Labour Party in 1900. In 2019, for the first time in its history, a member of the society's Executive Committee became the leader of the U.K.'s main leftwing party. His name is Starmer."

Keir Starmer arrived at Prime Minister's Questions determined to contain fallout from the MandelsonEpstein scandal that threatened the prime minister's tenure. He reminded Conservatives of Boris Johnson's misdeeds, Liberal Democrats of complicity in Cameron-era austerity, and the SNP of corruption in its previous leadership. Welldrilled Labour MPs cheered. The Fabian Society adopted a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing coat of arms and promoted patient, non-revolutionary use of trade unionism and municipal power for social progress. The Fabians helped found the Labour Party. Starmer quelled an internal rebellion and vowed not to abandon his mandate despite controversy over Mandelson's appointment and Epstein ties.

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