The answers Starmer must give

It will probably only damn me further in the eyes of many, but when I was a government minister I often used to ask Labour predecessors for advice. Tony Blair especially. He may have felt it was a forlorn exercise ever offering me his wisdom, especially when I went on to back Brexit, support parliament’s prorogation under Boris and defend Dominic Cummings against all comers, but I always appreciated his insights, even when we disagreed. No position is so strong, no policy so perfect, that it cannot benefit from being tested by critics. If those critics have experience of office, know its powers and limitations, so much the better. And few know office better than Blair.

Once, when we were discussing the destabilising effect of roiling, raucous social media assaults on a government struggling in the polls, Blair offered a simple prescription, in his trademark aphoristic style. ‘The politics of anger,’ he stated, ‘needs to be met with the politics of answers.’ In other words – don’t ignore what unhappy voters are telling you, don’t get distracted by who you think might be exploiting their discontent, don’t try to police tone, shoot messengers or hope popular disquiet will simply fade as the news cycle moves on. Make sure that you address the real causes of anger properly and promptly, or you will forfeit the right to govern.

It’s advice this government should take now. The anger the country feels about the rape gang scandal is real and deep and won’t be assuaged unless action is taken and answers are forthcoming. That means establishing a new national inquiry and ensuring its work results in demonstrable change in a swath of policy areas before the next general election.