A former public prosecutor and human rights lawyer and having shown he is fast on his feet in debates in the House of Commons, Starmer is well qualified for this role, according to analysts. “Unlike Mr. Johnson, he is detail-oriented and forensic in his approach. He lacks Mr. Johnson’s charisma, which would normally be a weakness but could work to his advantage during a crisis,” wrote The New York Times.
Starmer’s supporters also believe his background makes him an ideal leader at a time of national crisis. Angela Eagle, the MP for Wallasey and a former minister, told The Guardian this was a moment made for a serious politician such as Starmer. “There are pivot points in history where leaders can remake the political weather and set the agenda. This is one of them. And I think Keir has the personal and moral authority and a strategic vision to rise to the occasion,” she said.
But just as the leadership election flew under the media radar, Starmer too risks being eclipsed by the coronavirus crisis like all other news. Johnson has also been commanding the headlines, particularly since he went into isolation with a fever after catching the virus, then was admitted to hospital after his condition worsened. The new leader will now have to work hard to become a much more visible player in the conversation over the UK government's response to coronavirus, and his approach to the pandemic could define his leadership for the long term.
Starmer, who joined Parliament in 2015, and gained a lot of attention during the Brexit debate, serving as Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary and helping to temper Corbyn’s approach to Brexit, has arrived in the post just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is coming under fire for the low rate of testing for the virus compared to other European countries and for the failure to supply personal protective equipment for frontline medical workers.
Karmer pledged in his victory statement to “engage constructively” with the Prime Minister - who has just invited all opposition leaders to work together with him – while “not scoring party political points or making impossible demands” and would have “the courage to support” Johnson when appropriate but not back away when the government fails.
Starmer argued the virus has made it more evident than ever why the policies Labour promotes are in the best interest of the country, saying the UK could not go back to “business as usual” as the crisis passes — and that Covid-19 had exposed the “fragility in our society” that demands a better vision for the country, and for change within the party as well.
A few days later he also criticised ministers for being too slow at explaining why the UK is so behind on testing, adding that the focus must now be on making sure the Conservatives' promise to deliver 100,000 tests a day by the end of April is delivered.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Keir said: "The Labour Party I lead will do its bit to offer solutions. But we will also speak for those who have been ignored; and where we see mistakes we are under a duty to expose them to ensure that they are rectified as soon as possible. And let’s be honest, serious mistakes have been made.”
He also promised “strong, effective and responsible” opposition. The Conservatives have an overwhelming majority, so Labour doesn’t have much power, but if Starmer succeeds, that’s not just good news for the party, it’s to the benefit of the country.
NATIONAL UNITY
As the government takes unprecedented powers to implement its much-needed emergency strategy, many are calling for the leader of the opposition to be invited into a "Covid-19 War Cabinet" to ensure the public can have total confidence in the Government’s strategy and that the response to the unprecedented national emergency is genuinely national in a time when trust in all politicians is low.
On Wednesday night, the Labour leader was asked whether he would consider entering the Government. He suggested he was against the idea, promising instead to be a "constructive Opposition". He pointed to the Prime Minister's promise to provide regular briefings to Opposition parties, adding: "Those are the arrangements in place. I do think there’s a proper role for scrutiny here."
“I do think we should have ramped up the testing much, much more quickly, and I think that there are things to learn from Germany as a result of that,” Starmer said. “But at the moment,” he added, “I don’t think the public want to hear the leader of the Labour Party in opposition simply quipping about what should have been done.”
This came after a YouGov poll found that two-thirds of the public would support a national unity Government with Labour MPs entering the Cabinet. Supporters of all parties back the idea of a new leadership team which would see Keir Starmer temporarily team up with Boris Johnson's ministers during the coronavirus crisis.
A Conservative MP also wrote this week that the country needs Labour's leader in the cabinet to tackle coronavirus in the UK democratically. “Without the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition shoulder to shoulder,” George Freeman said, “the sheer scale of this crisis risks undermining rather than strengthening public confidence in our emergency response and in our democracy.”
