Starmer's Farewell Speech Couldn't Hide Labour's Record
In his resignation speech yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer sought to present a positive account of his time in office. He spoke of economic growth, rising wages, falling NHS waiting lists, reduced small boat crossings and hundreds of thousands of children being lifted out of poverty. Yet the question voters will ask is a simple one: if things were going so well, why was he forced out by his own party after less than two years in office?
The truth is that many of the headline claims in Sir Keir's speech tell only part of the story. Labour points to economic growth as evidence that its plan was working but families and businesses across Bournemouth West know that growth on paper is not the same as feeling better off. Britain faces one of the highest tax burdens in modern history, businesses have been hit by rising employment costs, and economic confidence remains fragile. One positive quarter does not erase the wider challenges facing the economy. Labour also highlights rising wages. Yet real wage growth has slowed significantly since it took office and many households continue to feel squeezed by the cost of living. For most people, the question is simple: does life feel easier than it did two years ago?
The Prime Minister claimed credit for falling NHS waiting lists. However, the picture is more complicated than the headline suggests. While the backlog has reduced from its peak, a significant proportion of the reduction has come through administrative reviews, where patients were removed because they no longer required treatment, had been treated elsewhere or could not be contacted. More than seven million treatments remain outstanding and many patients are still waiting far too long for care.
On illegal migration, Labour points to a reduction in small boat crossings compared with last year. Yet crossings remain historically high and public confidence in the immigration system remains low. After two years in office, Labour cannot credibly claim to have 'smashed the gangs' and regained control of Britain's borders.
Perhaps most striking was what Sir Keir chose not to mention.
He did not mention the repeated U-turns that became a defining feature of his premiership. He did not mention the freebies scandal that damaged public trust within weeks of taking office. He did not mention the Mandelson scandal. He did not mention the abandoned welfare reforms that collapsed in the face of a Labour backbench rebellion. He did not mention the prison overcrowding crisis and early release schemes that left many victims feeling let down. He did not mention the growing burden of taxation on families and businesses. He did not mention the continued struggle to deliver the homes, infrastructure projects and economic growth Labour promised. Nor did he mention the internal divisions that ultimately led his own parliamentary party to conclude that he could no longer lead them into the next General Election.
Politics is ultimately about trust. Voters will forgive mistakes. They will even forgive difficult decisions if leaders are honest about them. What they do not forgive is being told that everything is improving when their own experience suggests otherwise.
Sir Keir Starmer entered Downing Street promising change. Less than two years later, he leaves office having failed to convince even his own party that he could deliver it. His resignation marks the end of a premiership that promised much, delivered too little and leaves Britain facing many of the same challenges that existed when Labour took office.
The task now is not to rewrite the record. It is to learn from it.
