Starmer’s monarchist crib sheet

Labour are very keen these days to be seen as the natural party of government. And it’s in that spirit that Sir Keir and his aides have hit upon a brilliant wheeze: singing the national anthem on the first morning of their annual Party conference. It’s intended to mark the death of Her Majesty and show that the Starmer Army is A Serious Party once more.

Unfortunately for the onetime republican, not all his fellow socialist are happy to play at being merry monarchists. Delegates arriving in the Liverpool conference hall are greeted by leaflets from the Labour for a Republic campaign, who are none too happy at pledging fealty to Charles III. And it seems that Labour HQ are worried that not all attendees share their leader’s patriotic fervour. For in the conference hall, staff have been putting out cards with the first verse of ‘God Save the King’ – just in case attendees don’t know the seven lines of song.