That new leader will very likely be Andy Burnham, a three-term Mayor of Manchester who was returned to the House of Commons in a by-election last Thursday. I plan to write more about Burnham in the coming days as I have firsthand experience working with him.
For now, however, I wish to share my thoughts about Starmer's current state of being.
Simply put, I feel sorry for him.
After all, it was less than 2 years ago that he led the Labour Party to massive landslide victory ending 14-years of Tory rule. It was a landslide almost a large as that of Tony Blair when his first Labour government ascended to power nearly 30 years ago. Unlike Blair, however, Starmer will never get an opportunity for re-election much less three mandates.
As of this writing, unemployment in the UK is just under 5% - its lowest level in five years. You would think the unemployment rate would have been treble that amount given the eagerness with which Labour hung Starmer out to dry. Then again, the unemployment rate under President Biden was under 5% (much of that time under 4%) and fat lot of good that did him.
This isn't to say that Starmer didn't make a share of mistakes. He should have exercised far more diligence and better judgment when considering Peter Mandelson to be Ambassador to the U.S. Mandelson was a confidante of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein although he was not involved in any sexual misconduct.
Although Starmer's government was successful in reducing migration levels to the UK, it was insufficient for many voters who turned to Reform led by Nigel Farage and his tendency towards incitement against minorities calling for "pure, cold rage."
When Starmer made his resignation speech, he made a point of saying he was proud of "ripping out the poison of anti-Semitism". Unfortunately, as it turns out, there a lot of anti-Semites in the UK and many of them have turned to the Green Party to find a purportedly legitimate expression of that hatred.
From where I sit, I think Starmer is to be given every credit for his earnest efforts to stamp out anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and speaking out against its further rise under his watch. However, I think Starmer was wrong in recognizing a Palestinian state at a time when Hamas was still holding hostages. Alas, many a troll on Blue Sky think Starmer is guilty of enabling a genocide and they are clearly not referencing China or Myanmar.
Keir Starmer strikes me as a decent fellow who the British electorate expected to walk on water. If this same electorate perceives Andy Burnham as a savior, then I can only imagine how they will react when Burnham attempts to take a stroll on the Thames.
Starmer ought to have had the chance to make his case to the voters in 2028 or 2029. Whatever mistakes he made have made, I can think of certain world leaders who made far worse mistakes and were given second chances.
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