After one of the worst defeats in its history, Labour has achieved one of its biggest victories. By any measure, this is a remarkable feat. Upon becoming leader in 2020, Keir Starmer observed that he had to do the work of Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Tony Blair in a single term. Against the odds, he delivered.
A popular theory holds that Starmer has merely been a “lucky general” – the beneficiary of the Conservatives’ self-destruction. But his success reflects skill as well as fortune. Starmer recognised that his party would not win again until it was trusted on the economy and national security – and focused relentlessly on these aims. The British electorate is far from infatuated with Labour but, crucially, it isn’t scared of it either. As a consequence, the Tories’ traditional fear tactics proved futile.
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