Starmer’s war on the left is unfinished

Sir Keir Starmer must confront the soft left, not just the extremists, to avoid being seen as reliant on left-wing backbenchers and be perceived as a true moderate.

April 16, 2023 . 3:08 PM

1 min read

UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer must confront the soft left, not just the extremists.
Shrinking poll lead puts Labour at risk of being perceived as reliant on left-wing backbenchers.
Starmer must upset the soft left repeatedly and in full view of the public to be seen as a true moderate.
He needs to tell trade unions that structural reform is coming to public services, and take a clearer stance on culture wars.
Labour's historic problem is the vast tranche of opinion that is neither extreme nor electable: the soft left.