UPDATED
Starmer heaps praise on Thatcher as he woos Conservative voters
Edward Malnick
Sat, 2 December 2023
Sir Keir Starmer used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair - Andrew Matthews/PA
Sir Keir Starmer heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in Britain as he launched an explicit appeal to Conservative voters to switch to Labour.
In his most audacious bid yet to woo centre-Right support, reminiscent of the New Labour years, the Labour leader accused the Tories of a “betrayal” of their promises to control migration.
In a shift from his staunch opposition to Britain’s departure from the EU before becoming leader, Sir Keir added that the Conservatives have “failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit”.
Writing for The Telegraph, he praised Thatcher for “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism” and warned that public was again fed up with politicians “hectoring”.
His intervention is likely to fuel Tory MPs’ concerns about disillusionment among many 2019 Conservative voters with the Government’s approach to key areas such as immigration, inflation and crime.
It comes as Rishi Sunak prepares to decide how radical an approach to take with a new law to secure deportation flights to Rwanda before the next election.
A plan – a radical version of which would allow ministers to ignore the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to asylum – could be finalised within 24 hours and put to the Cabinet as soon as Tuesday.
In a separate Telegraph article, Sir Bill Cash, a veteran Conservative Brexiteer, warned that voters “will not excuse failure on the illegal migration issue in yet another Bill”.
On Saturday, Labour said it expected that a surge in illegal Channel crossings this weekend would make 2023 the second highest year for crossings on record despite Mr Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”.
A second senior Tory warned that Mr Sunak faced the genuine prospect of a leadership challenge from the Right of the party if he was seen to deliver weak legislation unlikely to fix the problem after the Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda deportation policy unlawful.
Sir Keir used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair, saying they all realised “that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them”.
It comes almost four years on from the Tories’ 2019 landslide, as Labour ramps up its preparations for an election campaign. In an email to supporters last week, the party said: “All signals are pointing to polling day in May. The Tories are about to pull a series of stunts to try to make people forget about their failures and save their plummeting poll numbers.”
Sir Keir said he had administered “shock therapy” to Labour over the last three years after taking over from Jeremy Corbyn. Appealing directly to Conservative voters, he added: “Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. Many of them have always voted Conservative but feel that their party has left them.
“I understand that. I saw that with my own party and acted to fix it. But I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”
Sir Keir said the public “sees a politics too large in its hectoring and interfering, too small in its ambition and ability” and adds: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them.
“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism. Tony Blair reimagined a stale, outdated Labour Party into one that could seize the optimism of the late 90s.
“A century ago, Clement Attlee wrote that Labour must be a party of duty and patriotism, not abstract theory. To build a ‘New Jerusalem’ meant first casting off the mind-forged manacles. That lesson is as true today as it was then.”
Sir Keir said it was “in this sense of public service” that he had overseen dramatic change in the Labour Party. “The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party,” he added.
The Labour leader claimed his party was “moving back towards voters” while “the Tory party has been steadily drifting away”.
“Years of sowing empty promises, cynical falsehoods and false dawns is now reaping inevitable consequence,” he wrote. “The Tories have talked the talk on fiscal prudence while wasting untold billions, weighing the country down with debt and raising the tax burden to a record high.
“They have squandered economic opportunities and failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit. They will bequeath public finances more akin to a minefield than a solid foundation.”
The Labour leader said his party’s “iron-clad fiscal rules will set this straight – but it will not be quick or easy”, adding: “There will be many on my own side who will feel frustrated by the difficult choices we will have to make.
“This is non-negotiable: every penny must be accounted for. The public finances must be fixed so we can get Britain growing and make people feel better off.”
On migration, Sir Keir said: “This is a government that was elected on a promise that immigration would ‘come down’ and the British people would ‘always be in control’. For immigration to then triple is more than just yet another failure – it is a betrayal of their promises.”
Sir Keir’s praise for Thatcher is likely to rile the Left of his party, which reacted with fury when he said in March that the former Conservative prime minister was “right” to describe the rule of law as the first duty of government.
In 2013, Sir Tony Blair described Thatcher as “a towering political figure”, adding: “I always thought my job was to build on some of the things she had done rather than reverse them. Many of the things she said, even though they pained people like me on the Left... had a certain creditability.”
Edward Malnick
Sat, 2 December 2023
Sir Keir Starmer used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair - Andrew Matthews/PA
Sir Keir Starmer heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in Britain as he launched an explicit appeal to Conservative voters to switch to Labour.
In his most audacious bid yet to woo centre-Right support, reminiscent of the New Labour years, the Labour leader accused the Tories of a “betrayal” of their promises to control migration.
In a shift from his staunch opposition to Britain’s departure from the EU before becoming leader, Sir Keir added that the Conservatives have “failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit”.
Writing for The Telegraph, he praised Thatcher for “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism” and warned that public was again fed up with politicians “hectoring”.
His intervention is likely to fuel Tory MPs’ concerns about disillusionment among many 2019 Conservative voters with the Government’s approach to key areas such as immigration, inflation and crime.
It comes as Rishi Sunak prepares to decide how radical an approach to take with a new law to secure deportation flights to Rwanda before the next election.
A plan – a radical version of which would allow ministers to ignore the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to asylum – could be finalised within 24 hours and put to the Cabinet as soon as Tuesday.
In a separate Telegraph article, Sir Bill Cash, a veteran Conservative Brexiteer, warned that voters “will not excuse failure on the illegal migration issue in yet another Bill”.
On Saturday, Labour said it expected that a surge in illegal Channel crossings this weekend would make 2023 the second highest year for crossings on record despite Mr Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”.
A second senior Tory warned that Mr Sunak faced the genuine prospect of a leadership challenge from the Right of the party if he was seen to deliver weak legislation unlikely to fix the problem after the Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda deportation policy unlawful.
Sir Keir used his article to pitch himself as the heir to Thatcher, Clement Attlee and Sir Tony Blair, saying they all realised “that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them”.
It comes almost four years on from the Tories’ 2019 landslide, as Labour ramps up its preparations for an election campaign. In an email to supporters last week, the party said: “All signals are pointing to polling day in May. The Tories are about to pull a series of stunts to try to make people forget about their failures and save their plummeting poll numbers.”
Sir Keir said he had administered “shock therapy” to Labour over the last three years after taking over from Jeremy Corbyn. Appealing directly to Conservative voters, he added: “Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. Many of them have always voted Conservative but feel that their party has left them.
“I understand that. I saw that with my own party and acted to fix it. But I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”
Sir Keir said the public “sees a politics too large in its hectoring and interfering, too small in its ambition and ability” and adds: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people rather than dictating to them.
“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism. Tony Blair reimagined a stale, outdated Labour Party into one that could seize the optimism of the late 90s.
“A century ago, Clement Attlee wrote that Labour must be a party of duty and patriotism, not abstract theory. To build a ‘New Jerusalem’ meant first casting off the mind-forged manacles. That lesson is as true today as it was then.”
Sir Keir said it was “in this sense of public service” that he had overseen dramatic change in the Labour Party. “The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party,” he added.
The Labour leader claimed his party was “moving back towards voters” while “the Tory party has been steadily drifting away”.
“Years of sowing empty promises, cynical falsehoods and false dawns is now reaping inevitable consequence,” he wrote. “The Tories have talked the talk on fiscal prudence while wasting untold billions, weighing the country down with debt and raising the tax burden to a record high.
“They have squandered economic opportunities and failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit. They will bequeath public finances more akin to a minefield than a solid foundation.”
The Labour leader said his party’s “iron-clad fiscal rules will set this straight – but it will not be quick or easy”, adding: “There will be many on my own side who will feel frustrated by the difficult choices we will have to make.
“This is non-negotiable: every penny must be accounted for. The public finances must be fixed so we can get Britain growing and make people feel better off.”
On migration, Sir Keir said: “This is a government that was elected on a promise that immigration would ‘come down’ and the British people would ‘always be in control’. For immigration to then triple is more than just yet another failure – it is a betrayal of their promises.”
Sir Keir’s praise for Thatcher is likely to rile the Left of his party, which reacted with fury when he said in March that the former Conservative prime minister was “right” to describe the rule of law as the first duty of government.
In 2013, Sir Tony Blair described Thatcher as “a towering political figure”, adding: “I always thought my job was to build on some of the things she had done rather than reverse them. Many of the things she said, even though they pained people like me on the Left... had a certain creditability.”
Keir Starmer more receptive to my ideas than Sunak’s party, says Tory donor
Patrick Daly
Sat, 2 December 2023 at 3:39 am GMT-7·3-min read
A major Tory donor has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is “more receptive” to his proposals than Rishi Sunak.
John Caudwell, founder of the now defunct mobile phone retailer Phones4U, donated £500,000 to the Conservative Party before the 2019 election when Boris Johnson was at its helm.
But the billionaire has been disillusioned with the party in recent months, slamming the prime minister’s move this autumn to water down net zero comments.
And on Friday the businessman heaped praise on Sir Keir, refusing to rule out providing money towards Labour’s war chest ahead of a likely general election next year.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? programme, Mr Caudwell said: “I’ve put so many policies to the Conservative Party to make Britain great again, to put the great back into Great Britain, drive the GDP, drive the wealth for people again.
“I’ve met with Keir Starmer and he is more receptive to my ideas than the Tory Party.
“Will that mean I donate? I can’t answer that.
“But what I can tell you is that any party that makes Britain great by having the right policies… any party that does what I think will make Britain great again … I’ll donate to.”
Mr Caudwell told The Sunday Times in September that he would no longer financially back the Tories if Mr Sunak kept with his changed stance on environmental policies.
“If Rishi sticks to this, would I donate to the Conservative Party? Absolutely not. No chance whatsoever with the decisions they are making at the moment,” he said.
“Would I switch to Labour? The answer to that is very simple: I will support any party that I believe will do the right thing for Britain going forward.”
Labour leader Sir Keir is on course to be the next prime minister, according to current polling.
His party have been consistently ahead in opinion polls, with some surveys putting them as much as 20 points ahead of the Tories, who have been in power since 2010.
Mr Caudwell’s praise for Sir Keir follows a string of high-profile figures from the business world coming out in favour of Labour.
In a major intervention this month, revealed by The Independent, the advertising giant that helped Margaret Thatcher win power attacked the “cruelty” of the Conservatives and predicted a Labour victory at the general election.
The strategy chief at Saatchi & Saatchi – the agency behind the iconic “Labour isn’t working” ads prior to the 1979 landslide – said Britain needs saving from “five more years of stagnation, cruelty and despair”.
That came just weeks after the former governor of the Bank of England endorsed the Labour Party in a major coup for Sir Keir Starmer and his shadow chancellor. Mark Carney said it was “beyond time” for Ms Reeves to run the economy in a Labour government.
Frozen food chain Iceland’s executive chair, Richard Walker, has also withdrawn his support and said he was “open” to supporting Sir Keir. Meanwhile another Tory donor, Philip Harris, founder of Carpetright, said the Conservative Party did not “deserve” to win the 2024 general elect
Patrick Daly
Sat, 2 December 2023 at 3:39 am GMT-7·3-min read
A major Tory donor has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is “more receptive” to his proposals than Rishi Sunak.
John Caudwell, founder of the now defunct mobile phone retailer Phones4U, donated £500,000 to the Conservative Party before the 2019 election when Boris Johnson was at its helm.
But the billionaire has been disillusioned with the party in recent months, slamming the prime minister’s move this autumn to water down net zero comments.
And on Friday the businessman heaped praise on Sir Keir, refusing to rule out providing money towards Labour’s war chest ahead of a likely general election next year.
I’ve met with Keir Starmer and he is more receptive to my ideas than the Tory partyBusinessman John Caudwell
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? programme, Mr Caudwell said: “I’ve put so many policies to the Conservative Party to make Britain great again, to put the great back into Great Britain, drive the GDP, drive the wealth for people again.
“I’ve met with Keir Starmer and he is more receptive to my ideas than the Tory Party.
“Will that mean I donate? I can’t answer that.
“But what I can tell you is that any party that makes Britain great by having the right policies… any party that does what I think will make Britain great again … I’ll donate to.”
Mr Caudwell told The Sunday Times in September that he would no longer financially back the Tories if Mr Sunak kept with his changed stance on environmental policies.
“If Rishi sticks to this, would I donate to the Conservative Party? Absolutely not. No chance whatsoever with the decisions they are making at the moment,” he said.
“Would I switch to Labour? The answer to that is very simple: I will support any party that I believe will do the right thing for Britain going forward.”
Labour leader Sir Keir is on course to be the next prime minister, according to current polling.
His party have been consistently ahead in opinion polls, with some surveys putting them as much as 20 points ahead of the Tories, who have been in power since 2010.
Mr Caudwell’s praise for Sir Keir follows a string of high-profile figures from the business world coming out in favour of Labour.
In a major intervention this month, revealed by The Independent, the advertising giant that helped Margaret Thatcher win power attacked the “cruelty” of the Conservatives and predicted a Labour victory at the general election.
The strategy chief at Saatchi & Saatchi – the agency behind the iconic “Labour isn’t working” ads prior to the 1979 landslide – said Britain needs saving from “five more years of stagnation, cruelty and despair”.
That came just weeks after the former governor of the Bank of England endorsed the Labour Party in a major coup for Sir Keir Starmer and his shadow chancellor. Mark Carney said it was “beyond time” for Ms Reeves to run the economy in a Labour government.
Frozen food chain Iceland’s executive chair, Richard Walker, has also withdrawn his support and said he was “open” to supporting Sir Keir. Meanwhile another Tory donor, Philip Harris, founder of Carpetright, said the Conservative Party did not “deserve” to win the 2024 general elect
‘End Thatcherism for good’ – Corbyn rips in to Starmer for praising Thatcher
The difference between the two most recent Labour leaders couldn't be much greater - as these comments prove.
by Tom Head
2023-12-03
in Politics
Jeremy Corbyn has issued a personal response to Keir Starmer’s praise for Margaret Thatcher on Sunday, just hours after his Peace and Justice Project slammed the Labour leader for his controversial stance.
What did Keir Starmer say about Margaret Thatcher?
The piece, published on Sunday, paid tribute to the former Prime Minister for ‘dragging Britain out of its stupor’. Thatcher still remains a bitterly detested figure amongst many Labour supporters, and her legacy is one of the most divisive in UK politics.
Alas, Starmer has thrown caution to the wind, imploring disillusioned Tories to ‘take another look at Labour’. His attempt to court these potential floating voters is likely to leave a sour taste among long-term Labour backers.
“Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”
“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism… effecting meaningful change.”
“The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party.” | Keir Starmer
Sir Keir faces wrath of Corbyn
Posting on Twitter/X, Corbyn lashed at out at the ‘legacy of Thatcherism’, blaming her tumultuous time as Prime Minister for making life harder for vulnerable citizens decades after she left office. He also took a swipe at Starmer for saying that Thatcher ‘effected meaningful change’.
“Every week, I speak to renters threatened with eviction. Homeless people struggling to survive. Parents using foodbanks. Elderly people who can’t afford heating. That is the legacy of Thatcherism. We will never achieve meaningful change until it ends for good.” | Jeremy Corbyn
Richard Murphy, a political campaigner and Professor of Accounting Practice at the University of Sheffield, also took offence to Starmer’s position. He vehemently contests the notion that the ‘Iron Lady’ was responsible for releasing entrepreneurialism across the country
“Margaret Thatcher did not release entrepreneurialism in the UK. She released monopolistic exploitation. As someone who knows the true meaning of being an entrepreneur, I can tell you that neither is in any way similar to entrepreneurialism.”| Professor Richard Murphy
Fury at 'embarrassing' Keir Starmer for praising Margaret Thatcher to woo Tory voters
As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Keir Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.
The difference between the two most recent Labour leaders couldn't be much greater - as these comments prove.
by Tom Head
2023-12-03
in Politics
Jeremy Corbyn has issued a personal response to Keir Starmer’s praise for Margaret Thatcher on Sunday, just hours after his Peace and Justice Project slammed the Labour leader for his controversial stance.
What did Keir Starmer say about Margaret Thatcher?
The piece, published on Sunday, paid tribute to the former Prime Minister for ‘dragging Britain out of its stupor’. Thatcher still remains a bitterly detested figure amongst many Labour supporters, and her legacy is one of the most divisive in UK politics.
Alas, Starmer has thrown caution to the wind, imploring disillusioned Tories to ‘take another look at Labour’. His attempt to court these potential floating voters is likely to leave a sour taste among long-term Labour backers.
“Across Britain, there are people who feel disillusioned, frustrated, angry, worried. I also understand that many will still be uncertain about Labour. I ask them to take a look at us again.”
“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism… effecting meaningful change.”
“The course of shock therapy we gave our party had one purpose: to ensure that we were once again rooted in the priorities, the concerns and the dreams of ordinary British people. To put country before party.” | Keir Starmer
Sir Keir faces wrath of Corbyn
Posting on Twitter/X, Corbyn lashed at out at the ‘legacy of Thatcherism’, blaming her tumultuous time as Prime Minister for making life harder for vulnerable citizens decades after she left office. He also took a swipe at Starmer for saying that Thatcher ‘effected meaningful change’.
“Every week, I speak to renters threatened with eviction. Homeless people struggling to survive. Parents using foodbanks. Elderly people who can’t afford heating. That is the legacy of Thatcherism. We will never achieve meaningful change until it ends for good.” | Jeremy Corbyn
Richard Murphy, a political campaigner and Professor of Accounting Practice at the University of Sheffield, also took offence to Starmer’s position. He vehemently contests the notion that the ‘Iron Lady’ was responsible for releasing entrepreneurialism across the country
“Margaret Thatcher did not release entrepreneurialism in the UK. She released monopolistic exploitation. As someone who knows the true meaning of being an entrepreneur, I can tell you that neither is in any way similar to entrepreneurialism.”| Professor Richard Murphy
Starmer's ‘embarrassing’ Thatcher love-in slammed
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer
MORNINGSTAR
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2023
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has been condemned for his praise of Margaret Thatcher.
In an article for the Sunday Telegraph — regarded as a barometer of Tory opinion — Sir Keir named Labour predecessors Clement Attlee and Tony Blair alongside the former Tory prime minister as people who had delivered “meaningful change” in Britain.
Already under fire for his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza, the Labour leader went on to eulogise Ms Thatcher for her work to “drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”
His comments, aimed at reaching out to Tory-voting readers, have infuriated grassroots Labour party members and trade unionists alike, while the SNP went on the attack.
Writing on Twitter, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism,’ it was vandalism.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to disown Sir Keir’s remarks.
He said: “The question is now whether Labour in Scotland will stand by these despicable comments and stand shoulder to shoulder with Starmer just as they did on Gaza — or will they finally speak up for Scotland."
UCU union general secretary Jo Grady also took to Twitter to say: “Thatcher brought meaningful change?
“Destroying whole communities, privatising our major assets, creating a culture of individualism, blacklisting workers, targeting trade unionists, vilifying football supporters, starting the wealth divide. Embarrassing from Starmer.”
Momentum branded Sir Keir’s remarks “a shift to the right and a failure of Labour values.”
The grassroots group tweeted: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public service, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour.
“Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics.”
Former Scottish Labour MSP and leadership contender Neil Findlay was damning of Sir Keir’s return to the Blairite strategy of tacking right and assuming the left had nowhere to go.
He told the Star: “Keir Starmer has just given working-class voters another reason to stay at home instead of voting Labour on polling day.
“In areas like mine, Thatcher’s legacy was 26 per cent unemployment, mass redundancy, industrial closures and a feeling that there was no future for my generation.
“For him to eulogise someone who inflicted so much pain on our communities sickens me to the pit of my stomach. He is an impostor and a fraud.”
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has been condemned for his praise of Margaret Thatcher.
In an article for the Sunday Telegraph — regarded as a barometer of Tory opinion — Sir Keir named Labour predecessors Clement Attlee and Tony Blair alongside the former Tory prime minister as people who had delivered “meaningful change” in Britain.
Already under fire for his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza, the Labour leader went on to eulogise Ms Thatcher for her work to “drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”
His comments, aimed at reaching out to Tory-voting readers, have infuriated grassroots Labour party members and trade unionists alike, while the SNP went on the attack.
Writing on Twitter, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism,’ it was vandalism.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to disown Sir Keir’s remarks.
He said: “The question is now whether Labour in Scotland will stand by these despicable comments and stand shoulder to shoulder with Starmer just as they did on Gaza — or will they finally speak up for Scotland."
UCU union general secretary Jo Grady also took to Twitter to say: “Thatcher brought meaningful change?
“Destroying whole communities, privatising our major assets, creating a culture of individualism, blacklisting workers, targeting trade unionists, vilifying football supporters, starting the wealth divide. Embarrassing from Starmer.”
Momentum branded Sir Keir’s remarks “a shift to the right and a failure of Labour values.”
The grassroots group tweeted: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public service, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour.
“Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics.”
Former Scottish Labour MSP and leadership contender Neil Findlay was damning of Sir Keir’s return to the Blairite strategy of tacking right and assuming the left had nowhere to go.
He told the Star: “Keir Starmer has just given working-class voters another reason to stay at home instead of voting Labour on polling day.
“In areas like mine, Thatcher’s legacy was 26 per cent unemployment, mass redundancy, industrial closures and a feeling that there was no future for my generation.
“For him to eulogise someone who inflicted so much pain on our communities sickens me to the pit of my stomach. He is an impostor and a fraud.”
As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Keir Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.
Deputy Political Editor
THE MIRROR
3 Dec 2023
Keir Starmer was hit by a furious backlash tonight after he lavished praise on Margaret Thatcher to woo Conservative voters.
In comments that enraged parts of his party, the Labour leader hailed the divisive Tory PM for bringing about “meaningful change” and “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them. Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”
He also pointed to past Labour PMs Sir Tony Blair and Clement Atlee for understanding that politicians “must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them”.
As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Mr Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.
Keir Starmer was hit by a furious backlash tonight after he lavished praise on Margaret Thatcher to woo Conservative voters.
In comments that enraged parts of his party, the Labour leader hailed the divisive Tory PM for bringing about “meaningful change” and “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them. Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”
He also pointed to past Labour PMs Sir Tony Blair and Clement Atlee for understanding that politicians “must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them”.
As Rishi Sunak’s party continues to languish in the polls, Mr Starmer appealed to disaffected Conservatives, saying Labour would “extend the hand of friendship to you, no matter where you are or who you have voted for in the past”.
Keir Starmer hailed the divisive Tory PM for bringing about “meaningful change”
(Image: PA)
The Labour leader sought to park his tanks on Mr Sunak’s lawn by criticising the Conservatives’ handling of Brexit and its “betrayal” of its manifesto promise to curb immigration. He later told the BBC that he wanted to compare the “drift” of recent years with the “sense of mission” under previous leaders.
“It doesn’t mean I agree with what she (Thatcher) did, but I don’t think anybody could suggest she didn’t have a driving sense of purpose.”
But his comments about Mrs Thatcher will spark anger in Mirror heartlands decimated by her policies in the 1980s, where the impact of those job losses are still felt today.
Chris Kitchen, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), told the Mirror: “I can understand that some people think Thatcher was great. If I was a multi-millionaire who got rich off her policies maybe I would. I’m a former coal miner living in a mining community. I don’t see anything Thatcher did that helped anyone in my community.”
Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack said her Government “deliberately inflicted mass unemployment and poverty on communities through a vindictive pit closures programme and the decimation of the manufacturing industry”.
Mr Wrack, whose union is affiliated to the Labour Party, said: “Working people and entire regions of Britain are still living with the dire consequences of Thatcherism to this day. That’s why so many families are struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills this Christmas. Obscene wealth inequality, a surge in food bank use, as well as low-paid and insecure work are the reality of Thatcherism.”
Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary, said the comments were “embarrassing” for Mr Starmer as she pointed to the ex-Tory PM’s record of privatisation, trade union crackdowns and blacklisting workers.
Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said Mrs Thatcher devastated mining communities and presided over policies that caused “poverty and deprivation not seen since the Dickensian era”.
“Most of those forced to rely on foodbanks today are from communities that have never recovered from the Thatcher government’s assault on working class communities,” she said. “Her government’s attacks on the working class and trade unions is well remembered in my constituency.”
Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, a former NUM President and ally of Jeremy Corbyn, took aim at the Labour leader. He said: “I can assure you my constituents do not in any way share this view. Thatcher brutalised the miners and their families.”
Labour MP Ian Byrne tweeted: “Inequality, hunger, destitution & misery. That’s the real legacy left by Thatcher.” And Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said: “Margaret Thatcher did nothing for working class communities in Liverpool and across the country: destroyed industries, attacked trade unionists, privatised our core industries.”
She said no one in Labour should look up to Mrs Thatcher, adding: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
North of Tyne metro mayor Jamie Driscoll, who quit Labour after being barred from standing for the party as North East Mayor, accused Mr Starmer of “abandoning the Red Wall”. He said: “The North East lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs under Margaret Thatcher, my Dad’s job at ICI included. This is adding insult to injury.”
Momentum, the left-wing activist network, said: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public services, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour. Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics. It’s a shift to the Right, and a failure of Labour values.”
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf also piled into the row as he battles with a resurgent Scottish Labour party. He said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism’, it was vandalism. Starmer praising Thatcher is an insult to those communities in Scotland, and across the UK, who still bear the scars of her disastrous policies.”
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he was not a fan of Mrs Thatcher but said she had a significant impact on the country.
Asked if he was a fan, Mr Reynolds, who represents Stalybridge and Hyde, a former mining community in Greater Manchester, said: “No, I’m not, but I can recognise that she was a formidable opponent and if I were to list the significant prime ministers who have really changed the country, many people like Tony Blair.”
The Labour leader sought to park his tanks on Mr Sunak’s lawn by criticising the Conservatives’ handling of Brexit and its “betrayal” of its manifesto promise to curb immigration. He later told the BBC that he wanted to compare the “drift” of recent years with the “sense of mission” under previous leaders.
“It doesn’t mean I agree with what she (Thatcher) did, but I don’t think anybody could suggest she didn’t have a driving sense of purpose.”
But his comments about Mrs Thatcher will spark anger in Mirror heartlands decimated by her policies in the 1980s, where the impact of those job losses are still felt today.
Chris Kitchen, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), told the Mirror: “I can understand that some people think Thatcher was great. If I was a multi-millionaire who got rich off her policies maybe I would. I’m a former coal miner living in a mining community. I don’t see anything Thatcher did that helped anyone in my community.”
Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack said her Government “deliberately inflicted mass unemployment and poverty on communities through a vindictive pit closures programme and the decimation of the manufacturing industry”.
Mr Wrack, whose union is affiliated to the Labour Party, said: “Working people and entire regions of Britain are still living with the dire consequences of Thatcherism to this day. That’s why so many families are struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills this Christmas. Obscene wealth inequality, a surge in food bank use, as well as low-paid and insecure work are the reality of Thatcherism.”
Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary, said the comments were “embarrassing” for Mr Starmer as she pointed to the ex-Tory PM’s record of privatisation, trade union crackdowns and blacklisting workers.
Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said Mrs Thatcher devastated mining communities and presided over policies that caused “poverty and deprivation not seen since the Dickensian era”.
“Most of those forced to rely on foodbanks today are from communities that have never recovered from the Thatcher government’s assault on working class communities,” she said. “Her government’s attacks on the working class and trade unions is well remembered in my constituency.”
Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, a former NUM President and ally of Jeremy Corbyn, took aim at the Labour leader. He said: “I can assure you my constituents do not in any way share this view. Thatcher brutalised the miners and their families.”
Labour MP Ian Byrne tweeted: “Inequality, hunger, destitution & misery. That’s the real legacy left by Thatcher.” And Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said: “Margaret Thatcher did nothing for working class communities in Liverpool and across the country: destroyed industries, attacked trade unionists, privatised our core industries.”
She said no one in Labour should look up to Mrs Thatcher, adding: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
North of Tyne metro mayor Jamie Driscoll, who quit Labour after being barred from standing for the party as North East Mayor, accused Mr Starmer of “abandoning the Red Wall”. He said: “The North East lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs under Margaret Thatcher, my Dad’s job at ICI included. This is adding insult to injury.”
Momentum, the left-wing activist network, said: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public services, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour. Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics. It’s a shift to the Right, and a failure of Labour values.”
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf also piled into the row as he battles with a resurgent Scottish Labour party. He said: “What Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism’, it was vandalism. Starmer praising Thatcher is an insult to those communities in Scotland, and across the UK, who still bear the scars of her disastrous policies.”
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he was not a fan of Mrs Thatcher but said she had a significant impact on the country.
Asked if he was a fan, Mr Reynolds, who represents Stalybridge and Hyde, a former mining community in Greater Manchester, said: “No, I’m not, but I can recognise that she was a formidable opponent and if I were to list the significant prime ministers who have really changed the country, many people like Tony Blair.”
