Owen Jones lays bare the tactical weaknesses in Keir Starmer’s Labour (Starmer gambled Labour’s fortunes on his integrity – no wonder he’s in deep trouble, 9 May). It doesn’t work to increasingly appease the right, because in our current divisive political era, one can never appease enough when the game is just a zero-sum turf war.
So Beergate could be an indicative test case. If he’s fined, either Keir Starmer ends up backing down on the value of integrity, thus saving Boris Johnson and then having to tack further right to ingratiate himself in an increasingly hostile environment. Or, he could take the poison pill and allow himself to be deposed in favour of a new, capable leader.
