In the run-up to the 1997 General Election, Roy Jenkins famously compared an ever-cautious Tony Blair to a man “carrying a priceless Ming vase across a highly polished floor.” More than a quarter of a century on, the same line has been thrown repeatedly at Sir Keir Starmer. But today, the Labour leader appeared to hug the metaphorical porcelain and finally start to run.
Starmer set out the challenges facing not only his party but the nation. Economically and socially, Britain is operating far beneath its potential. Starmer noted that in 1997, Blair had to rebuild public services. In 1964, Harold Wilson sought to modernise the economy. In 1945, Clement Attlee introduced the welfare state from the ashes of war. Starmer believes that, in 2024, it will be his job to achieve all three.
If the allusion was to Labour’s past, the contrast was to the present, or more precisely, last week’s Conservative Party conference. Rishi Sunak’s announcements amounted more to a laundry list of what Britain cannot do than a manifesto for change. And it now transpires those transport projects to replace HS2 were “illustrative” rather than guaranteed to receive funding.
Accosted by the shocks of Brexit, Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK finds itself at a critical juncture. We don’t just need another plan to boost GDP, build houses or clear the NHS backlog — we need someone who will actually make it happen.
Shame in our city
It is not safe for children in London to be openly Jewish. David Moody, headteacher of the Jewish Free School, near Harrow, has advised that, “should students wish not to wear a blazer” which carries the school crest, he “would understand that decision.”
Already, security is heightened around Jewish schools and places of worship. Many are fearful for their safety, as racists and bigots see conflict in the Middle East and direct their hatred towards Jews living thousands of miles away.
We will not stand for it. Jewish people have walked the streets of London for centuries. That some now need to hide their identity out of fear of attack brings shame to our city.
Theatre’s big night
The Evening Standard Theatre Awards return to support and congratulate the creativity, passion and talent of the London stage.
This newspaper’s proprietor, Lord Lebedev, will be joined by co-hosts David Harewood, Vanessa Kirby, Ian McKellen and Sienna Miller for an evening of celebration, presented by writer and actress Susan Wokoma.
These awards are part of the capital’s heritage and an opportunity to pay tribute to the actors, directors and producers who make London’s theatre the envy of the world.
