Ayesha Hazarika
(Picture: Daniel Hambury)For a man whose nickname is No Drama Starmer, the leader of the Opposition properly kicked off this week with his promise to resign if given a fixed penalty notice for having a beer and a curry during a campaign visit to Durham last year. His team are confident that he did nothing wrong, but it’s still high risk. Rishi Sunak didn’t think he had done anything wrong either when he rocked up to a meeting and was ambushed by cake and a random interior designer.
So, what are the consequences for Labour? If Starmer is exonerated, the gamble will have paid off. He can clamber back on the moral high ground, put clear red water between himself and the Prime Minister and absolutely rinse him if Johnson gets any further fines.
But if Starmer gets fined, then he’s up Schitt’s Creek without a paddle. Or a canoe. It would be totally humiliating to have all your political ambitions thwarted by a curry and a beer at what looked like the crappiest party in the history of time. They didn’t even break a child’s swing for God’s sake. What kind of amateurs are they? It would be awful for him on a personal level, but at least he would have his integrity and could look forward to never ever having to pay for a curry again on these shores.
But it may not be that bad for the party. While Starmer may not have set the world’s pulse racing, he has quietly whipped the Labour party into better shape than it has been in for years. He has tackled the anti-Semitism which took root under his predecessor and begun to heal relations with the Jewish community. He has hired good people. He has changed the internal rules so that it will be more difficult for the hard Left to win the leadership again or try to deselect moderate MPs. And most importantly, he has promoted lots of good people so there is a wealth of talent for the party to choose from who have had front bench experience and media exposure — Wes Streeting, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, Bridget Phillipson, Rosena Allin-Khan, David Lammy and Peter Kyle to name but a few.
This is a far cry from the Conservative party, who are stuck with Boris Johnson because of the evident lack of a convincing successor. The Tories are built on one man. Starmer has made sure his Labour party is rooted in a broader base of talent and has built in strong succession planning. In two and a half years he has taken his party from wipeout to being on course to be the largest party if there were to be a general election soon. Yes, there needs to be more progress, particularly on policy ideas, but that’s not a bad record. In an era of political impunity where leaders lie, throw anyone under the bus, and do anything to save their skin, it’s admirable to see someone take a stand, put their neck on the line and take responsibility. If he were to go he would leave his party in a far better place than he found it in terms of direction and reputation. Will the same be said of Boris Johnson?
In other news...
In an era of badly dressed toxic masculinity, it was a treat to visit Fashioning Masculinities: the Art of Menswear exhibition at the V&A. The show takes you from undergarments through to being suited and booted throughout the ages. It’s a glorious feast for the eyes but also looks at how fashion plays such a big role in shaping our social norms and gender. While social media rages about identity and definitions of men and women, fashion allows us to play and shapeshift.
Seeing Marlene Dietrich’s incredible tux in amongst the men’s was a highlight. The showstopper was the black velvet ballgown worn by actor Billy Porter at the Oscars in 2019. I was lucky enough to meet him at a Brits afterparty and he was an absolute delight. In this case, I was very glad to have met a hero and he was the best dressed person in the room by a mile. Boys (and girls) — be more Billy.
