Seems to me Keir Starmer’s ‘no tax rises now’ position makes strategic sense.
One of Labour’s big failings in 15, 17, 19 elections was being soundly beaten on the economy.
Having a ‘why are you so pro-business’ row now only helps Starmer’s rebranding project for 2024.
Which is why you suspect Starmer’s office will be pretty relaxed with Corbyn frontbenchers criticising the stance and PM noting it’s a big departure from Labour’s 2019 manifesto.
(All giving big air time to the fact Starmer is abandoning Corbyn’s position on tax and business)
Having Tories throw the quotes from this week back at Starmer in the run-up to the next election (when Labour’s tax offering will inevitably be more progressive than the Conservatives) is the weakness in the strategy. But can worry about that in 2024.
Secrecy at all costs: Inside the Downing Street bunker preparing Britain’s lockdown exit. Longish read with @LOS_Fisher
Rishi, Gove, Hancock handed numbered paper copies of road map they couldn’t take with them amid heightened leak fears 1/ telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/…
Special advisers explicitly warned on recent Zoom calls with No 10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield against Covid leaks, per multiple sources.
Some have taken a vow of silence fearing for their jobs if they discuss the road map. One: “I don’t want to be sacked”. 2/
Cabinet ministers being “kept in the dark” about the road map. So too many ministers whose briefs directly relate to countering Covid.
The heart of decision-making is ‘The Quad’ (PM, Rishi, Gove, Hancock) plus the scientists: Whitty, Vallance, sometimes JVT. 3/
Skimmed Obama’s new memoir for British references yesterday. There are some standout ones.
Says Cameron had “the easy confidence of someone who’d never been pressed too hard by life”. 1/ telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/1…
Obama on Gordon Brown: He “lacked the sparkly political gifts of his predecessor” Tony Blair. 👀
But also calls him “thoughtful” and “responsible”. 2/
Obama recounts the media reaction to Michelle touching the Queen’s shoulder during the 2009 G20 summit in Britain. Says the Queen “didn’t seem to mind”. 3/
As far as I can tell Trump campaign fraud claims fall into 4 buckets: 1) people voting who shouldn’t have (eg dead) 2) election official wrongdoing (eg rules broken) 3) their poll watchers not getting full access 4) complaints about mail ballots arriving after election day
But...
Number 4 questionable - allowed for military ballots, other rules were agreed before the vote
Number 3 a side issue - not an example of fraudulent votes and disputed in many places.
Examples given for 1 + 2 are v limited. Being looked into. Some circulating online disproved.
Remember Trump isn’t just claiming a few voting irregularities. He’s alleging a conspiracy to steal the election from him.
The Trump campaign therefore needs to provide evidence for a) widespread and systematic vote fraud b) Trump being the target.