Earlier this month, the New Statesman published a long and fascinating article by its newly installed editor, Tom McTague, about the prime minister. Much of it was an account of a dogged hunt for something that never really materialised: some idea of what Keir Starmer believes in. The closest McTague got was an answer to a question about ideals Starmer thinks of as sacrosanct. “Human dignity,” he said. “The dignity of the individual. And the respect that goes with it.”
Successful politicians are often distinguished by their ability to hold completely contradictory beliefs, and Starmer is clearly no exception. After months of outrage and protest – and whispers about ministerial resignations, given more credence by the return to the backbenches of the Labour whip Vicky Foxcroft – he and his government are seemingly more committed than ever to reforms to disability and sickness benefits that will soon come to a vote in the House of Commons. The people these changes will tip into an everyday nightmare are already terrified. Quite where a belief in human dignity fits into all this is a question that answers itself.
