Saddled with a UK government that won’t listen or learn - Lorna Slater
By the time you read this he may already be gone and it wouldn’t be before time. Keir Starmer’s premiership has become synonymous with inaction, poor judgement and broken promises.
What was sold as a fresh start for UK politics has instead delivered a series of decisions that have left people worse off and faith in Westminster further eroded.
In his short time in office, the Prime Minister has presided over choices that speak volumes about his priorities. Cuts that hit disabled people hardest, the removal of winter fuel support for pensioners and an economy that is shedding jobs rather than creating security.
These are not accidents or isolated errors. They are the predictable outcomes of a leadership that has failed to put fairness, compassion and protecting its people at the heart of government.
The controversies that now surround the Prime Minister only underline that failure. Senior appointments pushed through despite clear warnings, followed by chaos and embarrassment when those warnings proved justified.
His own MPs are falling over each other to tell the press they gave him different advice. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a government that neither listens nor learns.
Each misstep chips away at public trust and each attempt to brazen it out deepens the sense that the Prime Minister is clinging to office rather than acting in the country’s interests.
Across the UK, frustration is growing. Many who hoped for change now feel let down, watching a Labour government repeat old mistakes instead of charting a new course.
The calls for Keir Starmer to resign are not the product of fleeting headlines, they reflect a widespread belief that his leadership has run out of road.
Here in Scotland, there is another uncomfortable truth to confront. Scottish Labour has consistently failed to stand up to this failing leadership.
Time and again, when Westminster decisions have harmed people or contradicted Labour’s stated values, Scottish Labour figures have chosen loyalty over leadership. Instead of challenging bad calls, they have too often defended them, leaving voters to ask who exactly Scottish Labour is meant to be standing up for.
Scotland deserves better than silence and excuses. We need representatives who will speak out when decisions are wrong, even when that is inconvenient for party hierarchies in London. Standing up for Scotland should never be optional.
The moment demands honesty and courage. Keir Starmer’s time as Prime Minister should come to an end and Scottish Labour must finally decide whether it will continue to shield a failing leader or find the backbone to demand better.