Not much to cheer at the end of a long year for Sir Keir

In a few days, Keir Starmer will mark his first year in office, but no one will be celebrating. It seemed so easy in opposition. All he had to do was not be one of those evil Tories he despised so much. But it turns out gov-erning is hard and the attacks he levelled at the Conservatives have since been turned on him.

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The anger in the country over his failings is palpable.

A detailed seat-by-seat poll found Labour would lose 233 seats if an election was held tomorrow. He has amassed more nicknames than all the Tory leaders he has faced put together: “Two-Tier Keir”, “Never Here Keir”, “Free Gear Keir”, “Sir Flip Flop”, “the Farmer Harmer”, “Sir Kid Starver” and so on.

In the last 12 months the list of those he’s angered includes rape gang victims, pensioners, parents, small business owners, farmers, fishermen, people with disabilities, Brexiteers, the Chagossians and, last but not least, Labour MPs.

He is currently on his third U-turn in five weeks. It is not a sign of weakness to alter your course if the situation changes, but three cavernous climbdowns in a month shows just how badly this Government is being run.

WHEN the winter fuel allowance cuts were announced just three weeks into the start of his premiership, I was so baffled that I repeatedly asked Treasury officials to check the figures. Surely, no politician can be daft enough to take a payment helping people to heat their homes off 10 million pensioners can they? Turns out he and his hapless sidekick Rachel Reeves were. It took them 10 months to come to their senses.