Why Starmer praised Thatcher

In an event that almost forms part of Britain’s unwritten constitution, if not quite as regular an occurrence as Big Ben’s bongs, a Labour leader has praised Margaret Thatcher. Keir Starmer has now expressed his admiration for the woman who helped keep his party out of office for eighteen years.

That this made the news only shows how limited the time horizons of most political journalists are. For every Labour leader since Tony Blair has at one point or another done the exact same thing. The only notable exception is Jeremy Corbyn, who is no longer a member of the parliamentary Labour party.

They all do it for precisely the same reason: to secure the support of those for whom Thatcher remains a well-regarded figure. It isn’t big and it isn’t clever: but it is a rite of passage they have, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, all undergone.