It's time for the Great Pretender to be dethroned

SOCIAL ENGINEER: Bridget Phillipson

- Esther McVey Conservative MP

THIS week marks the anniversary of Keir Starmer becoming PM. It also marks the end of his leadership. The far left of his party have seized control having forced him into a tailspin of U-turns and a grovelling apology over his immigration stance and his “island of strangers” speech.

Starmer never was a leader - he was always the Great Pretender. First, he pretended to be a Corbynista to get Labour members to vote for him to become party leader.

Then he sidled up to the trade unions for their money and support and then finally, pretended to be a Blairite, a wheeze to win over moderate voters at the general election.

But as Starmer has proved, you can’t pretend to believe in everything and everyone, it ultimately exposes you as believing in nothing and no one.

The great tragedy is that his leadership and vacuous mantra of “change” was never subjected to proper scrutiny by the broadcast media prior to the election.