Does Diane Abbott and the dispute over her future matter?
Keir Starmer clearly didn’t calculate as much, although I’m told it all blew up far more than the leader’s office expected, with the mess and delay being the product of internal disagreements over what to do about it.
High-profile Labor politicians such as Jess Phillips are now getting the ball rolling, and televised rallies in front of supporters in Hackney have arguably obliterated the party’s attempts to spread messages about NHS waiting times.
Last general elections:
Abbott tells rally she won’t be ‘intimidated’
But does this change the tide politically – especially when the party is 27 points ahead, according to the latest Sky News/YouGov poll and is Sir Keir interested in doing all he can to preserve relations with the Jewish community?
Possibly not in the first instance. But it can have side effects.
Sir Keir is reportedly determined to present a “changed” Labor Party, far from the one that held Jeremy Corbyn in such high esteem.
The Abbott decisions are part of that broader strategy. However, there are still parts of the party nostalgic for this era, and Sir Keir has won the leadership by trying to keep them on side.
But there is a paradox in the research that suggests trouble lies ahead. Yes, if the polls are to be believed (and many Conservatives don’t), the Labor Party is on its way to a decent majority and control of number 10.
However, Sir Keir’s own ratings are – less than stellar.
Survey: Labor rises to a 27-point lead
The YouGov/Sky News poll this week asked whether voters thought he would make a good or bad prime minister. Almost half – 47% – said it badly. The older the voter, the more pessimistic he is.
Sir Keir is starting from a low base – not as bad as Rishi Sunak, but still bad. On the other hand, only 33% said they thought he would be good.
This level of enthusiasm suggests that Sir Keir may not enjoy a public opinion honeymoon, just at a time when he will probably have to start making difficult decisions, particularly about tax increases.
One of the themes of this election was the party’s clarity that, although it promises not to increase income tax, social security and corporation tax, there is no such barrier in relation to other taxes.
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With rules to restrict borrowing withdrawn from the Tories and unsustainably tight spending plans from Whitehall, something has to give.
Judging by the first week of the campaign, this appears to be about taxes – an issue the Conservatives will likely take up in the coming days.
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If he suddenly becomes unpopular, Sir Keir will need an army of supporters to isolate him.
But some of those are supporters who are unhappy with the treatment of Ms Abbott.
This dispute may not matter much now or in this campaign, but if ties between leader and party fray easily, then there is trouble ahead.
Rishi Sunak could tell him that.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
