Starmer should be courageous despite bumpy first 100 days

Saturday was the 100th day since the UK Labour Party, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, entered 10 Downing Street to end 14 years of chaotic Conservative Party rule that had eroded the country’s reputation and the standing of its political class and its institutions around the world.

Yet, even before Labour under Starmer won a landslide election victory in July, shadows of doubt were beginning to encircle everything that it touched or could touch in an attempt to stabilize the country and usher in a new vision. It sought to reboot an austerity-hit state, compounded by a poorly thought through Brexit, which severed Britain’s economic, social and political ties from the EU. It was like the country had suddenly woken up to find itself on the margins and out in the cold under a dysfunctional Conservative Party that was lurching further and further to the right, entrenching a “me-first” approach to running the country and its relationships with its neighbors.

Even outside the UK, the vibes on social and traditional media were skeptical. Once, during an interview with a Middle Eastern channel, I nearly got convinced by the journalist’s line of questioning that Starmer’s government would fall before the end of its first year in power, or even before the end of its first 100 days.

Inside Britain, instead of rejoicing at the new government and the prospect of hitting the restart button, many people have maintained a nonchalant air of skepticism, even a malaise about what Labour can potentially achieve and whether or not it will drive the change that the country has craved for years.

Many people have maintained a nonchalant air of skepticism, even a malaise about what Labour can potentially achieve

Mohamed Chebaro

The dilemma faced by the new prime minister is an age-old one. It is also faced by most Western democracies, whether they are led by the left, the center, the right, the populists or the extreme right. You cannot keep on shrinking the state and believing that a self-regulating private sector will deliver unsupervised, accountable leadership that meets the complex web of society’s expectations and demands.

In a world that is more in transition than ever, the appeal of the welfare state in Western society has never been clearer. Yet, no citizen on the left or the right believes in paying more taxes to cater for those needs in a climate of scarcity and economic uncertainty.

Labour wanted to hit the ground running. It hoped to present in government a project that could deliver high investment and a growing economy, coupled with high productivity and certainty that could limit inequality and social division, while increasing security and safety. It also aimed to provide housing, access to transport, education, health and social care, as well as a ladder to climb the stairs of personal prosperity through more training and employment.

Instead, while trying to explain the conditions of the state it inherited, the new government has indirectly hurt itself with its often gloomy but realistic rhetoric about the dire state of the economy and public services. And just as it was positioning itself to unveil its reform projects, Starmer’s government was hit by the summer riots that were fueled by racism and divisions and which bore all the hallmarks of the extreme right.

Just as the government then tried to catch its breath, stories about freebies and cronyism piled up. These added to some unpopular announcements, such as the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and the abandonment of a planned cap on social care bills, as well as voting to retain the two-child limit on social benefit payments, all as a means to balance the books.

Many voters in Britain, and I am one of them, believe that Starmer and the Labour Party were elected because the country needed fresh thinking and more plausible ideas. Away from the right-wing narratives that cannot be missed in today’s UK, most people want Labour to succeed, as the country cannot afford five more wasted years. The new government has a license to be innovative and bold, especially as it is backed by a large majority in Parliament.

The new government has a license to be innovative and bold, especially as it is backed by a large majority in Parliament

Mohamed Chebaro

Starmer and his government are right to be frank and open about the dilapidated state of the country they inherited, but equally they should be courageous in revealing their vision without fearing being labeled as “lefties,” “socialists” or “pro-Europe.” The biggest harm that plagues political discourses today — and maybe stunts many policy ideas before they even become policies — are the near-immediate court martials they get subjected to in the social media realm. The political philosophies, ethics and values that could and should underpin any legislation or policy rarely stand the test of focus groups or political chat shows.

In this world plagued by misinformation, fake news and “multiple truths,” have we become superficial consumers of whatever opinion is expressed in often sensationalist soundbites at the expense of a deeper, multilayered approach to what is right and what is wrong? This has been eroding trust in politicians, institutions and any actor that might espouse an idea that some of us might deem alien, just because it has earned no traction in terms of the number of “thumbs up” on our social media feeds.

Despite its bumpy start, Starmer’s new government should worry less about being attacked for raising taxes if raising taxes is the way to serve society and meet its aspirations of law and order, improved healthcare and education, economic growth and prosperity. A state that retains its empathy and fights poverty and dispossession will not cancel out its commitment to opening new horizons for investment, development and growth.

Starmer is likely to remain in Downing Street for at least five years and he must not tire of persuading both the converted and the skeptics about his true mettle and what his government stands for: the country and its people, despite all the adversities and challenges it inherited.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy. He is also a media consultant and trainer.