Ease up on the posturing and turn up the listening

LAST year, a Survation poll showed the number one quality people wanted in politicians was "listening to people." A close second was "keeping their promises." Followed by "delivering value for money." Way, way down the list was having "a working class background.

- Jamie Driscoll

So Keir Starmer's advisors seem to have been wasting their time with the incessant, "his Dad was a toolmaker" line.

It also explains why all the "but Boris Johnson is a toff" or "Farage is a millionaire city trader" attacks just bounced off. For whatever reason, very few Brits care about your background.

A 2020 article in the Journal of Research in Personality concluded that people want politicians who are like themselves, only more assertive. So politicians who seem to share the same values, but are braver, more confident, and more eloquent.

It also explains Mr Johnson's sudden defenestration.

People's self-image is not always accurate. They may think of themselves as a happy-go-lucky cheeky-chappy, but few will admit to being a liar. Breaking lockdown rules and covering it up wasn't funny. Once trust is gone, it's gone.

Now that ReformUK are in power, they'll face a similar problem. Shouting from the sidelines is easy. Fixing things is hard. Nobody's self-image is, “I'm all talk and no trousers.”

If they stop identifying with you, they'll stop voting for you. And unlike Labour or the Tories, RefUK have no lifelong voter base.