To think Keir Starmer is looking more ridiculous by the day

[Viviennemary]

I've just seen an interview with Keir Starmer talking in riddles. If he knew then what he knew now then this mess wouldn't have happened. Three hour debate about it tomorrow in Parliament. Surely his time is up. But if a lefty takes over it might be worse.

He really is not much better than Rishi Sunak. And Rachel Reeves is a whole lot worse than Jeremy Hunt who had started to stabilise the economy. Growth was starting to take place at the end of the Conservative government.

What she has done since is terrible.

Not if he continues to show a lack of understanding and political will. Giving an ineffective leader more time, just because the last lot had more time is crazy.

I agree that knee jerk reactions aren’t helpful and politics does take time to have an effect but many are lacking confidence in the foundations he and his team are laying. That’s a problem. Starmer came into government with a series of unconnected policies, not one big vision. He doesn’t have a clear strategy for recovery and he is losing the respect of his backbenchers.

Karen Pearce was doing a great job when Labour were elected and Trump’s team respected her.

But Starmer needed a charismatic person like Mandelson to help him with Trump because he knew he wasn’t capable of it himself.

I don’t understand the narrative that Starmer gets a pass for being an average PM because the Tories who came before him were such a shambles.

Are we saying that Johnson and Truss set the bar so low that we should be content with anything slightly better?

Starmer’s election campaign was predicated on Labour being better and doing better. Don’t be surprised that people are frustrated when that turns out not to be true.

Eh? The climate emergency/crisis has been the drumbeat of the last 20 years. We have made a lot of stupid, emotional moves be cause of it too.

I would far prefer Sunak/Hunt to Starmer/Reeves. For me it’s a hands down, no contest, very clear choice between competence and incompetence.

Sunak was better and made accurate predictions on what would happen with Labour

If the Leader of the Green Party, which was Caroline Lucas for a long time, had been given as much media coverage as Nigel has recently, then perhaps this would have helped the Green Party in disseminating their message and consequently their support in the polls. After all, Nigel Farage has been on the political scene with his 'patriotism' in all its forms for decades but his party has only really gained traction now!

With Labour there's always a tweet. Starmer should heed his own advice.

Ahh bless Keir Starmer, he doesn’t want the crowds to BOO President, Paedophile, Rapist Trump. if the crowds BOO Trump then Keir will lose the deal/ contract behind all of this and his reputation will be completely ruined.

In years to come, people will look back on this and see how weak the leadership in the UK. Shame on Starmer and his cruddy Labour Party. And shame on the Royals for welcoming Trump into Windsor!

Camilla couldn’t attend the Duchess of Kent Funeral but makes a remarkable recovery to attend this shit show.

We can’t upset President, Paedophile, Rapist Trump now can we.

Fucking outrageous!

Sadly, very sadly, since we left EEC we need the trade deals.

Yep, he's having to deal with the realities of being outside a massive trading block.

The effort that has gone into this state visit is ridiculous. Trump is a disgrace. Sickening to see Royalty/ the UK bowing down to him like this.

All I can say to our anti Trump, anti US crowd is that I do not see any other country that is investing in the UK at such a rate, not such a powerful one, nor one with such an extensive military capability. I would say these are big advantages compared to the EU who are going to get nothing like this. Keir Starmer has done a very good job internationally, and as for the King, this is literally the reason we pay for the whole edifice, so he can bloody well get on with hosting the US President as he’s been born and trained to do his whole life.

There is worse than Trump in this world. He’s not so different to his predecessors, less tactful, but not that different. One thing I am grateful to Keir Starmer about is his clear recognition that waiting for the EU to stop being pointlessly bitter about our leaving is a waste of time. Pragmatism should rule the day. The EU cannot get its act together when there is a war that threatens its very existence in its doorstep.

Investing in the UK?? We have lost £2 B of pharma investment as a direct result of Labour. That's 1000s of jobs and millions of tax revenue lost.
Unemployment and youth unemployment up

I think I saw 10 billion direct investment this morning from US companies! Good news for us and facilitated by the relationship.

you don’t have to see blues in the loo, you know

And these are likely better jobs, in more deprived areas of the UK then the relative middle class needs of John Lewis shoppers. The first is potentially higher pay than retail employment (which admittedly JL do pay above minimum wage rates).

‘Blues in the loo’?

Yeh many of the lost pharma jobs are in deprived areas 🙄

My mistake. It’s 30 billion.

As for lost pharma, there is a little bit of game playing here don’t you think? Fact is the UK only pays a small amount and far smaller than other jurisdictions on its drugs thanks to the NHS. So yes, I imagine they will play a bit of hardball up to getting more money from the government and then make their decisions based on the profit they can make. Are you up for your NHS drugs costing a bit more?

I think more is down to having Brexited than down to Starmer’s relationship building. Maybe we should thank Farage?

I do think there is something actually beyond the usual bullshit of the special relationship that usually gets wheeled out. Starmer has been able to use that where his predecessors haven’t, even where frankly Trump and him have little in common politically. It is certainly unusual, but it’s a thing that other countries would be grateful for.

Look at the Swiss or India who have engaged Trump and his ire. The UK has avoided that. I think it will do more with the US, and no, it’s not Nigel Farage who gets credit for that because no Conservative PM delivered post Brexit even a fraction of what Starmer has got from the US. It may not suit the idea that Starmer is an idiot, but internationally he is astute. I would expect more good news to come.

However some of what has been announced was begun under Sunak, that link explains so. Not all of it obviously but Starmer has been able to claim credit for some things which had already begun under Sunak.

No, there was some relationship building but the imperative on trade and investment from the US has been driven by this Labour government, which is imo good and should continue.

The Conservatives talked a lot about international trade but did not deliver that much. Post Brexit they did have a proper responsibility to deliver on it. Sunak was a grown up at least. Johnson and Truss were dire.

I am all for the UK making more money. Reeves is one of the most incompetent politicians I have ever seen. Starmer should sack her; how anyone can fluff being Chancellor like she has for almost no gain unparalleled (except perhaps Kwasi Kwarteng)

Trump got in after Cons were out anyway. He was always ready to deal with the U.K.

The Starmer adoration is a bit much.