Oh dear. Less than 24 hours after David Lammy (of all people) claimed Labour should not get involved in identity politics, his leader has plunged straight back into the culture wars.
Asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain who was his favourite Bond actor, Sir Keir passed up the chance to win back, say, badly-needed Scottish voters by plumping for Sean Connery, or appealing to Denis Healey fans within Labour by choosing the eyebrow-wiggling Roger Moore. Instead Starmer replied: ‘I don’t have a favourite Bond but I do think it is time for a female Bond,’ inducing a collective Twitter meltdown.
The rich irony of course is that the former DPP is not in much of a position to give lectures on gender equality, given that his own party is still yet to have a female leader. The Bond franchise has only been kicking around since 1962 – some six decades after Labour was first founded.
Still, his comments have provided us with a rich vein of comedy as to right-on 007 film names for the 21st century. In light of the Rosie Duffield saga, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Cervix’ and ‘Never Say Woman Again’ have been popular choices while ‘The Man with the Golden Scum,’ ‘The Woke is Not Enough,’ ‘Pronouns are Forever,’ ‘Licence to Kneel’ and ‘The Spy Who Misgendered Me’ also spring to mind.
Mr S is just surprised that Starmer is so lukewarm on Ian Fleming’s creation. The latter’s works are full of duplicitous backstabbers, alcoholic letches, Russian double-agents and villainous megalomaniacs hell-bent on world domination.
What better guide to navigating life within the Parliamentary Labour Party?
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