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IIt takes little effort now to remember that pleasant, confident morning of July 5, 2024, immediately after the general elections, when Labor The party was celebrating its massive victory sir keir starmer – Most of the adults in the room – seemed to be saying “end the chaos and”. Confusion” which pervaded the final days of Tory rule.
Yet last week’s record shows Labor is fully capable of crafting its own style chaos and confusion – and emulating some of the Tories’ worst mistakes.
It started with the Chancellor, Rachel ReevesCreating an unprecedented “scene-setting” pre budget speechwhich was clearly already designed to win some public understanding and sympathy tax hike Expected to be announced universally on 26th NovemberMs Reeves – unable to actually confirm the measures she had not yet made up her mind about – left the general public, as well as those in the media gathered in the Downing Street briefing room, fearing the worst.
No one was particularly convinced that the unannounced tax increases she was about to impose were either necessary or due to reasons completely outside her control. As a “story”, the speech had a beginning and a middle, but no end. What Ms Reeves indicated, to her obvious discomfort, was that Labor Government is going to destroy its most important manifesto commitmentsOn personal taxation.
Worse, she must also realize that she is about to destroy her government’s credibility as well as her own in the eyes of many voters – and, most poignantly, allow the Conservatives to revive their traditional slogan that Labor cannot be trusted to run the economy. It is difficult to maintain such a reputation.
There will be busyness in the middle of the week David Lammy – the Justice Secretary, the Lord Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister – had to justify the release of dangerous criminals, and fell into a clever trap set by the Tories regarding prisoners who were mistakenly released. It all made Mr. Lammy look like he was events out of controlAnd the least procrastinating.
Just weeks after the death of Angela Rayner, a deputy prime minister, there were moments when it looked as if Sir Keir might face another fateful exchange of letters, this time with her replacement. With the best will in the world it has to be said that the situation seemed chaotic and confusing.
To wrap things up, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandywas found to have “inadvertently” breached public appointment rules when it emerged that his choice to head the new football regulator was a man who had donated to his leadership election campaign in 2020. The spirit of the scandal is a little faint in that case, but it is hardly an example of maintaining the highest possible standards in public life, free even from the perception of wrongdoing, about which Sir Keir used to talk so much.
Under such circumstances, the Prime Minister would surely be glad to be in Brazil Cop30 summitGiven Britain’s leading role in tackling the climate crisis, this is where it should be. However, the fact is that his government has become so weak that his attendance at an important international conference may seem as if he is missing in action, or avoiding trouble.
In other words, Sir Keir is no longer confident that his government is in safe hands, knowing that it is more likely that he will collectively drop the ball. Of course, it is not that the Prime Minister’s own leadership always follows the most consistent path.
The biggest disappointment of the week was actually a dog that didn’t bark, so to speak – yet again the Bank of England’s narrow decision Avoid interest rate cutsEven modest cuts would have given the country some reason for hope on the economy, and the Chancellor would already have some solid support for his policies. BudgetInstead, he and his colleagues are about to face their toughest test yet, even greater than the loss of Ms. Rainer or the failure to get a grip on the migrant crisis.
Unless a comprehensive exercise in simply managing expectations has been undertaken over the past few months, the Budget in three weeks’ time will be an extremely disappointing affair in every way, confirming the sense of a nation stuck in some kind of crisis. fiscal doom loopEven if it’s less drastic than anticipated — and even if Ms. Reeves finds a way to avoid breaking it declaration pledge on income tax – It would hardly be extremely popular.
The budget will likely reduce Labour’s dismal position – the party currently stands at around 16 per cent in opinion polls – towards single figures, something that was unimaginable when it took power. It is also true that the general election is still three or four years away, but if there is any chance of a revival, this Labor government cannot have as many weeks as the previous government.