AYESHA HAZARIKA: ‘Keir Starmer should inform story of how Labour is fixing Britain’
‘Labour has some genuinely brilliant, clever, articulate people across the movement and they should be included’, former special adviser, broadcaster and peer Ayesha Hazarika writes
The PM was urged to tell a story of Labour’s successes (Image: PA)
It’s been a rough ride for the Prime Minister. But he ends the week in a better place, at least with his backbenchers.
Largely due to a make-or-break meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening where he apologised with genuine remorse. He said sorry to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, and to each MP, and to their families. He said that none of them had come into politics for this shame.
He was right to say that, and it won him vital support on a day when he came perilously close to being deposed. People rallied round him, but he needs to change how he does business.
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Politics is a team sport – especially Labour. Stop going to war with your own team. Andy Burnham, Anas Sarwar, Wes Streeting, Lisa Nandy, Lucy Powell and other MPs are not the enemy. Yes, there will be differences of opinion but every single one of them is on his side. No Labour figure wants Nigel Farage to win. They have skills and they want to fight for their party and their country. Let them in.
People get involved in politics because they want to be part of a tribe which shares their values and get stuck in. A bored, excluded politician is a dangerous beast. Broaden the tent. Use the talent. We have some genuinely brilliant, clever, articulate people across the movement. Include them.
Stop your advisers briefing against people in the press. No good comes of it. If there’s beef (and there always in in politics – even with a vegetarian PM) – get them in face to face and thrash it out. You can’t please everyone all the time. Every time you decide, you divide. But you can also explain and even though people may still disagree with you, if you get them in, they will respect you more for your stance.
The way to make better decisions is to engage and listen much earlier with MPs, peers and stakeholders. It’s better to stress-test ideas properly than row back later. And most importantly, make sure decisions pass the common-sense smell test. Whether it’s the winter fuel allowance or big appointments.
Starmer has bought himself precious time – he now must use every minute to turn things around. Yes, it’s important to win support from angry colleagues but, he needs to convince the public. He needs to tell the story of how Labour is fixing Britain whether it’s falling NHS waiting lists or building new power stations.
But he can’t do that alone. He needs to let people help him. As a football fan, he will know, individuals don’t win championships, teams do. And the stakes have never been higher.
‘End boys club culture’
One culture change we need asap is an end to “the boys’ club” that has dominated politics for too long – especially in the Labour party. It’s great to see more women in parliament and as ministers, but there have been serious questions about the very male dominated power behind the throne when it comes to major decisions like appointing Peter Mandleson to such an important job when he had associations with a paedophile.
I’m glad to see some brilliant women being appointed to the top jobs at No 10. I hope this will lead to a sea change in how we do our politics. We need a critical mass of women in the room where the business is done. And that doesn’t mean doing taking the notes or doing the teas and coffees.
‘Don’t sacrifice human talent for AI’
Alarm bells sounded this week about the AI revolution. We’ve been warned about mass unemployment, AI going rogue and senior tech figures are quitting claiming “the world is in peril.” Eek!
But many writers, musicians and other creative artists, are already suffering from having their work ripped off by AI or fear being replaced by it. AI can bring benefits, but let’s not sacrifice human talent at the altar of the tech bros.
‘Money can’t buy happiness’
Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologised for saying the UK had been “colonised by immigrants.” He also used dodgy stats. I’m all for an open but nuanced discussion about immigration and integration but this was just a nasty dog whistle.
Also, imagine being that rich, wafting round Monaco and still being this miserable. Proves money can’t buy you happiness.
