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Category: Keir Starmer

Would the real Keir Starmer please stand up?

Would the real Keir Starmer please stand up?

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2020 has not been short of challenges. Covid-19, the ensuing economic fall-out and the final stages of Brexit have been playing out. By and large, the government has proven unequal to the challenge. That is not just my opinion, but that of the public at large.  Just 34% of the public were satisfied with the government’s handling of Covid-19 in the last YouGov survey on the matter and 52% of the public disapprove of the government’s record to date with just 27% approving….

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Why Isn’t Labour Cutting Through?

Why Isn’t Labour Cutting Through?

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The Shadow Chancellor’s response to Sunak’s updated support package this week was well made. Ms Dodds has been saying much the same these past few months, if sotto voce. Perhaps because of this – and despite Starmer generally getting the better of the PM at PMQs – Labour has not broken through in the polls. The Tories’ large leads have largely evaporated so that is something. But the question remains. Why hasn’t Labour made more of an impact? This government…

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The great vacillator: Starmer needs to find some backbone

The great vacillator: Starmer needs to find some backbone

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He appears far too scared of Tory criticism There has been a minor infectious outbreak in Westminster. Not Covid-19 in this instance, where recent case numbers remain much lower than in the Spring, despite Jacob Rees-Mogg’s efforts. No, in this case the infection is rebellion. On the Tory side, Chris Green – formerly PPS to the Leader of the Lords – quit over the government’s Covid-19 policy. Labour, by contrast, suffered a more substantial set of resignations, as two junior…

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If the Tories are to lose their majority there has to be an “understanding” between Starmer and Davey

If the Tories are to lose their majority there has to be an “understanding” between Starmer and Davey

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So the punters had the LD leadership contest right. In a relatively low turnout election (57% of members) Sir Ed Davey beat Layla Moran by 63.5% to 36.5%. This was largely expected and broadly in line with the YouGov members’ poll last January. Davey has been acting leader since the GE2019 defeat in her constituency of Jo Swinson and today’s outcome puts him in a much better position to deal with Keir Starmer on an approach to the next election…

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CON lead down to 2% while Starmer is now 4% ahead of Johnson as “Best PM” in latest YouGov

CON lead down to 2% while Starmer is now 4% ahead of Johnson as “Best PM” in latest YouGov

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Counting the cost of the A-level debacle The latest YouGov Times poll just published has the Tories in their worst position in any survey since GE2019 with Starmer now beating Johnson as “Best PM” by 35% to 31%. All this comes of course after the dreadful week that the Government has been having over the exam grades when the EdSec had to abandon his initial plan and leave everything to be based on teacher projections. The best PM figures in…

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Opinium’s Tory lead down from 26% at the start of Starmer’s LAB leadership to 3% tonight

Opinium’s Tory lead down from 26% at the start of Starmer’s LAB leadership to 3% tonight

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This is the closest for LAB in any poll since GE2019 In the first poll by Opinium after Starmer became LAB leader the Tories were on 55% and LAB on 29%. Tonight’s weekly poll from the firm for the Observer has CON 41: LAB 38: LD 6%. That is a remarkable change in less than four months and will be seen as a real vindication of Starmer’s approach to the job since he became leader on April 4th. Of course…

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The Pandemic: Millions of people in the north affected by new lockdown restrictions announced by Tweet

The Pandemic: Millions of people in the north affected by new lockdown restrictions announced by Tweet

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Starmer calls the manner of the announcement a “new low” An estimated 4m people living in large parts of the North wake up this morning to find that a new range of lockdown restrictions has been implemented. The areas covered include Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of Yorkshire. The measures make it illegal in the areas covered for people from different households to meet indoors and have been brought in because of a rising number of COVID cases there. The…

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Starmer’s getting his lowest approval ratings in the CON seats that should be LAB’s main targets

Starmer’s getting his lowest approval ratings in the CON seats that should be LAB’s main targets

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This chart is a follow up to the one on the previous header which looked at the PM’s approval ratings by what happened at GE2019 in groups of constituencies. As can be seen the Starmer approval ratings follow the same pattern with Corbyn’s successor getting positive numbers across the board but doing least well in those seats which were gained by the Tories at GE2019. Note that this isn’t just from one poll but the average for each group from…

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