It is now some time since people joked about Keir Starmer’s genie, a mysterious creature who granted him his wishes. I used to describe Starmer as a lucky general: Boris Johnson, for most of 2021 a popular politician, blew up his premiership in spectacular fashion – and the Conservative Party then chose the least suitable candidate possible to replace him.
Since Starmer won an unexpectedly big election victory, things have not gone so well for him. A few days ago, the prime minister announced to his cabinet that the government was embarking on “phase two”, moving on from fixing problems it had inherited to delivering for the people.
