The Guardian view on Labour and the economy: the legacy was grim but voters need hope, not excuses

Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer will find it hard to deliver policy ‘with a sluggish economy, sticky inflation and shrinking fiscal headroom’. Photograph: Jack Hill/AFP/Getty Images

At the start of this month, Sir Keir Starmer initiated “phase two” of his government, with a view to turning its fortunes around. Then the deputy prime minister resigned over unpaid taxes. On the eve of a state visit by the US president, the ambassador to Washington was sacked over his friendship with a convicted paedophile, and this week a senior adviser to the prime minister resigned over offensive text messages.

Those are just the personnel problems. The new phase is supposed to focus on policy delivery, but that is hard to achieve with a sluggish economy, sticky inflation and shrinking fiscal headroom.