KEIR Starmer’s warning that Labour must “learn the lesson” of seeing a party policy used against it following a narrow defeat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election has been described as a “strange position”.
The Labour leader told the party’s national policy forum in Nottingham there was “something very wrong” when a party policy was on “each and every Tory leaflet” following attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand the capital’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), which applies a charge for the most polluting vehicles.
Khan’s decision to expand the Ulesz beyond central London is considered to have heavily undermined the party’s attempts to pinch another seat from the Tories.
Starmer told the forum on Saturday: “That result in Uxbridge demonstrates there is never any reason to be complacent and never a reason to rest on our laurels.
“It is a reminder that in an election, policy matters.
“We are doing something very wrong if policies put forward by the Labour Party end up on each and every Tory leaflet. We’ve got to face up to that and to learn the lesson.”
However, SNP President Michael Russell reacted to the comments by saying: “A strange position which would inevitably lead to no policy differences between the two.
“Surely Labour should want to differentiate their position from that of a discredited right wing, isolationist and authoritarian government and for that differentiation to be very clear?”
Director of the Good Law Project Jo Maugham reacted on social media to the cryptic message in the speech. He said: “I think Starmer is saying that it would be very wrong to propose anything that might be unpopular. Which is actually a pretty good summary of how I presently understand Starmerism: wherever the wind blows.”
Greens MP Caroline Lucas said: “Such a disaster if Starmer performs more U-turns on green policies at exactly the time we need leadership and vision.
“Another reason for more Green MPs to keep pressure on whoever forms the next government to deliver urgently needed fair & green transition.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn also retweeted Starmer’s comments and said: “What’s the point of Labour?”
Labour overturned a 20,000 majority to win the Selby seat in north Yorkshire with a 23.7 percentage points swing away from the Conservatives – the second largest produced by Labour at a by-election since 1945.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives hanging on in Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat has sparked debates within both the Tories and Labour on their green policy stance.
Addressing members, Starmer said that, while the by-election win in Selby and Ainsty should give Labour “every reason to be confident” ahead of a general election, the Uxbridge and South Ruislip result demonstrated that there “is still a long way to go”.
The Opposition leader urged the forum, which is debating potential manifesto ideas, to stay “disciplined” as he warned that the Tories were likely to seize on rogue policies during next year’s likely general election campaign.
