Starmer’s challenge in his speech to the Labour party conference was to present himself as a prime minister in waiting. To achieve this, he had to embody both authority and authenticity, credibility as a leader but also sympathy with the experiences of ordinary Britons.
He also had to present his own origins, as well as a direction of travel. He effectively needed to turn his story into strategy. As one journalist wrote about Jeremy Corbyn: “Authenticity is great, but so is strategy.”
Stories provide insight into leadership and substantiate claims of authenticity, a quality that “has become a key battleground in contemporary politics”. Donald Trump was portrayed as the “authenticity candidate” ahead of the 2016, for example.
