Sir Keir Starmer’s magic lamp
Luck often trumps skill and strategy in British politics
Monday June 19th was a typical day in British politics in so far as it involved a series of humiliations for the Conservative Party. mps approved a report on Boris Johnson condemning the former prime minister for lying to Parliament over lockdown-busting parties. Rishi Sunak skipped proceedings for a fortunately timed meeting with Sweden’s prime minister. On the same day, the invite emerged for an illegal “Jingle and Mingle” event at the party’s headquarters during the Christmas lockdown of 2020. A video of the event had already circulated, with one staffer overheard saying it was fine “as long as we don’t stream that we’re, like, bending the rules”. Labour, through no efforts of their own, had their reputation comparatively enhanced.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Lucky Labour”
Britain June 24th 2023
- Britain’s inflation pain is mostly self-inflicted and getting worse
- Pay for bosses in Britain falls far behind America. Tough luck
- Ben Wallace says he is out of the race for NATO’s top job
- Should Britain change its abortion laws?
- Indians are flocking to study at British universities
- Vaping among schoolchildren has become a moral panic in Britain
- Sir Keir Starmer’s magic lamp
From the June 24th 2023 edition
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