With UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stepping down, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the bloke.
Not because I agreed with everything he did.
Not because I think he got everything right.
But because it seemed impossible for him to win.
The right tore him apart, even when he reduced migration.
The left tore him apart, even when he lifted the two-child benefit cap and introduced measures aimed at helping children and families.
Nothing ever seemed to be enough.
Honestly, if he’d given every household in England a million quid, half the country would have complained about the queue at the bank.
The thing is, Starmer was never a showman. He was a lawyer. Careful. Methodical. Measured.
In an age where politics is all about outrage, slogans and social media clips, he often looked like a man trying to submit a witness statement in the middle of a pub fight.
People will have strong views on his record, and that’s fair enough. But I genuinely think he tried to do what he believed was right rather than simply chasing applause.
That’s not a defence of every decision he made. It’s just an acknowledgement that public service has become a brutal business.
You can disagree with someone without believing they’re evil.
You can think they failed without pretending they never tried.
For his own sake and for his family’s, I’m glad he gets the chance to step away from the circus.
As for who comes next, I’d like to see someone who isn’t afraid to say exactly what they think, challenge far right nonsense and remind people that governing a country is harder than shouting at one on Facebook.
Politics needs less rage and more solutions.
I’m not sure that’s the direction we’re heading, but I live in hope.
Keith Anderson
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