Keir Starmer began his big conference interview with the BBC talking about the story that has dominated the weekend – the Hamas attack on Israel. With Israel’s Ministry of Health suggesting at least 300 Israelis have been killed so far and the death toll of Palestinians rising, the Labour leader described the rocket fire and incursions from Gaza as an ‘appalling terrorist attack’ and said Israel had ‘every right to defend herself’. It will be a test for the new-look Labour party as to whether all MPs stay on message in the comings days in Liverpool. The party has long been divided on the Israel Palestine conflict and Starmer could face pressure to criticise aspects of the Israeli response.
As for what Starmer wants to talk about, as I previously reported he is keen to use this year’s conference – potentially the last before an election – to answer the question: If not them, why us? He tried to do so this morning by pushing the idea that a Labour government would preside over economic growth – which in turn would pay for increased spending on public services.
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