Sir Keir Starmer is prime minister presumptive. Unless the polls are more wrong than they have ever been or there is a sensational late shift in opinion the like of which we’ve never seen, in five days’ time he will be delivering his first speech to the nation from Downing Street. If he follows the model of predecessors, he will introduce himself as PM by making solemn undertakings “to repay your trust”.
That was the phrase used the day after the 2019 election by Boris Johnson. He then went on to demonstrate that the only thing he could be relied on to deliver was serial mendacities. If Sir Keir proclaims that he will prove worthy of the country’s trust, he had better be believable. Given the grimness of the inheritance about to land in Labour’s lap, and the time it will take to grapple with it, he will need to persuade the public to give him the benefit of the doubt that his plans will reward patience.
