# Keir Starmer tries to lead the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 6, 2024, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805 "2024-07-06T06:46:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/381 "2026-02-27T08:04:44Z")
The result was declared less than four hours ago, around 4.30am GMT. This is hardly a 24-hour news channel, and some of us need our sleep. Yes, a campaign not without more than usual nastiness and a very bad result for both Labour and Tories. But a lowish turnout for such a high profile by-election - longstanding Labour and Tories staying at home… for now? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/382 "2026-02-27T08:27:50Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > The result was declared less than four hours ago, around 4.30am GMT. This is hardly a 24-hour news channel, and some of us need our sleep. The result was not what mattered, but the entire leadup to the election, there was reams of chatter generated on my twitter/other social media I follow about the various tactics of each side, the implications, how this matters to British politics. This was far from an inconsequential election, despite the relatively small number of people voting. It was just odd seeing sometimes 25% of my feed dominated by this news on my other social platforms and crickets from the SDMB. I would have liked the SDMB take on the situation developing in real time as a way to calibrate but I’m unable to get it. During the Johnson/Truss/Sunak period, there were reams of trenchant British political insight here covering every minute development but not for large parts of the Starmer government. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/383 "2026-02-27T09:21:28Z")
I must say I feel somewhat heartened by 67% of the vote going to the left. With the news constantly banging on about Reform, it shows we’re getting quite a skewed idea about the electorate. I wouldn’t mind that as a coalition to keep out Reform. Tories totally collapsed, where next for them? ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/384 "2026-02-27T09:30:56Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > During the Johnson/Truss/Sunak period, there were reams of trenchant British political insight here covering every minute development but not for large parts of the Starmer government That’s fair. I suppose my personal reasons for posting less in the STarmer years than in previous PM’s tenures are: 1. Exhaustion - politics has been “interesting” for a long time and I frankly don’t have the energy especially because 2. Disappointment - Tories being shit is what I, a centre-left voter, expect. I’m not happy about it but it fits into my worldview. I wouldn’t describe myself as starry-eyed but I was expecting more from Starmer and the way he has pandered to the right on immigration and trans issues is just disheartening which in turn means 3. Little to say - other than “it’s all shit” I don’t have much analysis or insight to bring. That said, I shall stir myself: The worst outcome for this election was a Reform victory, not least because their candidate is even more openly racist than the party he represents. That would ahve been bad in and of itself, obviously, but would also have had the effect of convincing Labour they needed to be even more right wing/punch left even harder. Instead we had a big Green win - and the size matters, everyone I read was expecting whoever won to do so only by a narrow margin - and Labour beaten into third place. Hopefully that will wake people up to the understanding that the whole strategy of “well who else are lefties going to vote for - the Greens? Chuckle chuckle guffaw” has been ill-conceived and they will start governing for the voters they have not the voters they can never get. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/385 "2026-02-27T09:35:05Z")
Meanwhile some light relief on the left of the left: > **[The Your Party committee election was chaos. Why break the habit of a...](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/26/the-your-party-committee-election-was-chaos-why-break-the-habit-of-a-lifetime?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other)** > > As the results livestream was delayed, voters lamented: ‘Is it too much to ask for competence as well as democracy?’ ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/386 "2026-02-27T09:39:22Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Tories totally collapsed, where next for them? This is the bit that’s being less talked about, but they are the official Opposition and nominally the second biggest party in the country - the fact that they have been a complete afterthought behind Reform is or should be shocking and a) should see Badenoch lose her job and b) is genuinely worrying in terms of drift to the right. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/387 "2026-02-27T10:38:36Z")
From the vox pop interviews I read about, it seemed as though the prevailing mood was, if not “none of the above” (though the low turnout would indicate its strength) so much as “someone - anyone - else should have a go”. The Reform vote suggests to me that “anti-woke” has its limits, particularly in areas with strong minority ethnic communities if Reform continue to put up that sort of candidate; while the Green vote shows that appealing on the bread and butter economic issues works, though it may well be that feelings about Gaza may also have had their effect. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/388 "2026-02-27T10:44:40Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > though the low turnout would indicate its strength I don’t know where this low turnout impression came from. This was a by-election that saw a greater turnout than the 2024 GE. That’s an unusually high level of turnout. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/389 "2026-02-27T10:55:39Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > This is the bit that’s being less talked about, but they are the official Opposition and nominally the second biggest party in the country - the fact that they have been a complete afterthought behind Reform is or should be shocking and a) should see Badenoch lose her job and b) is genuinely worrying in terms of drift to the right. Someone mentioned on Twitter that this is the first time since the 80’s that the Conservatives have lost their deposit on an election. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/390 "2026-02-27T11:18:51Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Hopefully that will wake people up to the understanding that the whole strategy of “well who else are lefties going to vote for - the Greens? Chuckle chuckle guffaw” has been ill-conceived and they will start governing for the voters they have not the voters they can never get. From the perspective of an outside observer, it feels like the Lib Dems have spent a generation waiting in the wings, smugly rubbing their hands together with the prospects for capitalizing on the falling fortunes of one or both of the other parties. “We don’t have anything to offer, but any day now, our time as the default option in the center will come!” One imagines they’re as shell-shocked here as anyone. “The… the _Greens?_ Really? But… but…” ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/391 "2026-02-27T14:10:18Z")
For a long time they saw themselves as The Alternative for voters that were temporarily or permanently disgusted with the other two. But now the voters have others. Didn’t see much merit in speculating about what might happen, save it for when it comes. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/392 "2026-02-27T14:22:17Z")
A statement from Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, on the election result in Gorton and Denton: [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCKNPyGbEAAuCJQ?format=jpg&name=900x900) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCKNPyGbEAAuCJQ?format=jpg&name=900x900) “P.S. I’m not mad. Please don’t put in the newspaper I got mad.” The fact that the Tories are accusing _everyone else_ of “grievance politics” with a straight face is a definite sign that they’ve gone hopelessly over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/393 "2026-02-27T15:12:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The fact that the Tories are accusing _everyone else_ Every accusation is a confession. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/394 "2026-02-27T16:43:44Z")
I think Ofsted needs to do an emergency inspection of that particular charm school ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/395 "2026-02-27T16:53:09Z")
What exactly is the platform of the Greens [I had thought they were basically more or less single issue–the environment–although that of course involves many different programs]. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/396 "2026-02-27T17:29:02Z")
They’ve oriented themselves as the left–populist alternative to Labour, e.g. > **[Creating a Fairer, Greener Economy - Green Party](https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/creating-a-fairer-greener-economy/)** > > Real hope.Real change. Green MPs will fight for an economy that delivers security, wellbeing and a better quality of life for everyone, as well protecting our environment and enabling us to tackle the climate crisis with the ambition and speed it... There have been complaints that their campaign in this by-election played too sectarian an appeal to Muslims (leaflets in Urdu and Bangla, and drawing attention to contacts between Reform and Netanyahu, and between Labour and Modi). But as has been pointed out, the Greens are led by a gay Jew and their local candidate is a female plumber. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/397 "2026-02-27T17:35:57Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > A statement from Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, on the election result in Gorton and Denton: And a statement by Starmer to all Labour MPs. It’s… probably not as bad as the Conservative statement but wow is it pretty bad: > [@](#): > > Dear Colleagues, > > The result in Gorton and Denton is deeply disappointing. > > Instead of a Labour MP who can be a local champion delivering for Gorton and Denton alongside a Labour Government and a Labour mayor, the people of Gorton and Denton now have a representative who is more interested in dividing people than uniting them. We have to learn lessons from that, and we will. > > I know this is a tough result for our movement but I still want to thank you for everything you did to support our brilliant candidate Angeliki Stogia. She did a fantastic job and Gorton and Denton deserved to have her as their MP. > > We’ve seen the true colours of Zack Polanski’s Greens in this campaign. The Greens were able to capitalise on an endorsement from George Galloway to win over enough voters to push them over the line. Their willingness to welcome Galloway’s divisive, sectarian politics is a sign that the Greens are not the harmless environmentalists they pretend to be, and their position on legalising all drugs shows how unstable this electoral coalition is. It cannot survive a general election campaign. > > It hurts, but this is the kind of result that we have often seen parties of government face. In by-elections people can make their voice heard without risking a change of government. I get it: people are rightly impatient to see the change they voted for. > > It’s my job to make sure that happens. And I’m working day in, day out to see it through. > > Over the coming months, people will feel the benefit of the long-term decisions this government is taking. Look at the good economic news we’ve had in the past week: inflation and borrowing coming down, retail sales and business confidence rising, energy bills falling. And look at the policies that are going to make a difference in people’s lives in the coming months: the landmark Employment Rights Act, money off energy bills, the cruel two-child limit scrapped, more free breakfast clubs opening, Pride in Place funding coming through, NHS waiting lists continuing to fall. It will show what we’ve been saying from the outset of this year: the country is turning a corner. These are all Labour policies, putting Labour values into action - policies no other party would or could deliver. > > The Greens may have won here, but they simply do not have the resources, the activist base or the local knowledge to replicate this victory across the country. We’ve seen that before. We’ve seen it with the Lib Dems, who have often won mid-term by-elections against both the Conservatives and Labour, but never been able to come close to winning nationally. We’ve seen it with George Galloway, who won two mid-term by elections but held neither of those seats in a general election. > > We will continue to warn of the risk the Greens pose: the risk of extreme policies like legalising all drugs and pulling out of NATO that most voters strongly reject, and the risk of splitting the progressive vote so that Reform come through the middle. > > The next election is too important to let that happen. It’s a fight we can win, and we’re going to win it. > > Best, > Keir > **[Keir Starmer Says Greens Won By-Election Off Back Of George Galloway Endorsement](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/keir-starmer-says-greens-won-by-election-off-back-george-galloway-endorsement)** > > Keir Starmer has accused the Green Party of embracing 'sectarian' politics and claimed that its historic victory in the Gorton and Denton by-electi... ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/398 "2026-02-27T18:01:27Z")
An incredibly ironic video to be surfacing given Starmer’s letter: From 2020 > [@](#): > > “When you lose an election in a democracy, you deserve to.” > > “You don’t look at the electorate and ask them: ‘what were YOU thinking?’.” > > “You look at yourself, and ask ‘what were WE doing?’.” > ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/399 "2026-02-28T15:05:59Z")
Charlotte Cadden, the Conservative who lost her deposit, is a TERF - and in fact Badenoch’s statement points out she has campaigned on single-sex spaces. She’s a trustee of Sex Matters, an anti-transgender campaign group. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805/400 "2026-02-28T16:28:47Z")
A quote from farage : > When I told Gorton and Denton to ‘channel their patriotic Blitz spirit’ I didn’t mean ‘defeat the far-right fascists’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-tries-to-lead-the-uk/1003805.md?page=21)