After the Labour Party defeated the Tories in the recent British elections, there has been a lot of jubilation among a section of the British people. The Labour’s ascension has been viewed by many as a significant victory for the British people’s struggles against the austerity programmes of the Conservatives, the rampant racial discrimination and the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, which has become infamous as one of the largest contemporary genocides. However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer may not be the messiah the British people have been waiting for the last 14 years.
The problematic prime minister
Sir Keith Starmer’s rise to power has also sparked concerns about Labour’s subtle yet significant shift towards conservatism.
If one carefully analyses Sir Starmer’s career trajectory, one can sense that it has been indicative of his political affiliation and his affinity towards the right.
Born in London on September 2nd, 1962, Sir Starmer has been a barrister and a politician for years. Since 2015, Sir Strarmer has been representing Holborn and St Pancras and successfully purged former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2020 to become the party’s supremo.
Early journey
Coming from a working-class family in Southwark, South London, Sir Keir Starmer secured a scholarship to attend the prestigious Reigate Grammar School.
He pursued law at Leeds University, becoming the first in his family to go to university, and later earned a postgraduate degree from Oxford in 1986.
As a barrister specialising in criminal defence and human rights law for nearly two decades, Sir Starmer built a formidable legal career. His appointment as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 2009 marked a significant shift, transforming his image from a radical lawyer to a “moderate and cautious administrator.”
However, Sir Starmer’s tenure as DPP wasn’t without controversy.
Despite his thorough reputation, over 300 credible claims against child predator Jimmy Savile went unprosecuted. Starmer asserts he was unaware prosecutors had dropped the case, but the destruction of files leaves many questions unanswered.
“People who knew him when he was very young would say he was extremely left-wing,” noted one former colleague, in a Guardian article. “He had all those left-wing shibboleths, which he has reconsidered since he became a public servant,” the colleague further claimed.
This transformation saw Sir Starmer adopt a more conservative approach, with one observer commenting, “The Keir of 2008 could not have looked at Margaret Thatcher with anything other than total loathing. The Keir who wants to be prime minister is going to say nothing is off the table.”
Toppling Corbyn
Since becoming an MP in 2015, Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of undermining Mr Corbyn’s leadership. It has been alleged by Declassified that he joined a CIA-linked organisation called The Trilateral Commission while serving in Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.
Elected Labour leader in 2020 after the party’s worst defeat since 1935, Sir Starmer rebooted Corbynist Labour to its earlier ‘Blairist’ avatar
Leaked dossiers reveal that the Labour Party’s anti-Corbyn officials worked to hasten the party’s defeat in the 2019 elections so that Mr Corbyn could be purged. No investigations were ordered into these allegations.
After ousting Mr Corbyn, Sir Starmer didn’t allow him to contest elections for the party stating his “controversial” stance on Israel and his advocacy for Palestinian freedom.
Mr Corbyn claimed the scale of the problem has been “dramatically overstated for political reasons.”
Nevertheless, the former Labour leader was re-elected in Islington North as an independent candidate, a victory largely celebrated by the youth and minority groups.
Labour’s right turn
Sir Starmer has faced accusations of creating policies that resemble a Tory-lite approach and, two years into his leadership, has yet to make a substantial political mark.
This creeping ideological change has prompted keen scrutiny of Labour’s manifesto, Sir Starmer’s actions, and their implications for the rights of minorities and the working class under this new administration.
While addressing the Parliament after Israel started pounding Gaza with bombs and missiles in October 2023, Sir Starmer unapologetically asserted Israel’s “right to defend itself”. Despite paying lip service to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he didn’t hold Israel responsible for holding water and food supply to the besieged strip.
Declassified reveals a troubling detail: pro-Israel lobbyists have donated to 13 of Labour’s 25 cabinet members since their election to the Parliament.
Labour’s leadership has received over £600,000 from these donors.
Despite Sir Starmer recently calling upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately to bring an immediate ceasefire, the government is yet to condemn Israel’s aggression in Gaza.
In the opposite sentiment, Mr Corbyn leads a dissenting movement against Labour’s stance on Gaza, with independent MPs set to be a thorn in Sir Keir Starmer’s side over Middle East policy.
Policy plans
Labour has pledged to make the tax system fairer, promising no increases to income tax, national insurance, or VAT, and vowing to “ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible.”
Labour politicians often contradicted themselves on tax policies, insisting they had “no plans” to raise taxes beyond what was advertised, a statement widely interpreted to mean the opposite.
The Telegraph claims the super-rich are already fleeing Britain, fearing that Sir Keir Starmer will introduce a series of wealth tax increases, to open funds for public services.
For example, proposals under consideration, such as increases in capital gains tax (CGT) first reported by The Guardian two weeks ago, could raise £8bn.
Post-win, the new leader promised to start work “straight away” to improve the NHS.
Labour pledged to deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans and appointments weekly in England—totalling two million annually—by expanding weekend services and using the private sector.
Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership is now under intense scrutiny, as his policies and actions will determine the future direction of Labour and its impact on the rights of minorities and the working class.
