Keir Starmer: change or more of the same?

A recent Yougov poll asked the public what they thought was Keir Starmer’s biggest achievement in his first 100 days in office, the most common answer? Nothing. Labour have had 100 days to show the British people a vision for things being better, they have a huge majority in government and a mandate for real change, and yet it seems as if they simply have no ideas. 

What seems like the entire cabinet has been plagued by issues surrounding gifts and allegations of corruption which, alongside talk by the chancellor of ‘tough decisions’ coming in the autumn budget, makes it hard to see how we’ve really changed at all from the 14 years of Tory austerity and dodgy dealing.

Instead of fixing our broken economy, Starmer has scored a massive political own goal in taking away the winter fuel allowance for the elderly. It may not even change anything as with it will likely come a rise in people claiming pension credit in order to make ends meet. The policy sums the government up well: unpopular and ineffective. 

Starmer's approval rating has dropped 27 points since taking office as he now sits at an approval rating of -21 and it doesn’t look like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With Rachel Reeves rumoured to be bringing new taxes in the October budget it looks highly unlikely Labour are going to rebound any time soon. Many of his new MP’s will likely be vulnerable next election, and, as time goes on, there’s a chance he could be out of a job sooner than anyone expected.

After already being pressured into sacking his chief of staff, Sue Gray, the question is: will Starmer finally be brave enough to spend the money needed to fix our country instead of continuing the same failed austerity measures? Somehow, I doubt he has the backbone for it.