Where are Keir Starmer’s ideas coming from?

Exactly what a Keir Starmer government would look like in terms of policy still remains a mystery to most people. During his leadership campaign Starmer ran on a platform consisting of ‘ten pledges’, which were essentially just reheated Corbynism. Without publicly disavowing them, Starmer seems to have been trying to move away from these pledges toward something that represents a solid break with his predecessor since winning the leadership contest. Yet we still don’t have a clear idea on what that would look like in real terms. Starmer has defined himself so far not on who he is, but rather, who he is not.

To this end, Starmer’s people are talking about a ‘policy blitz’ in the coming weeks. As leader of the opposition, following through on such a thing is a mixed bag at this point in a parliament. Yes, people need more of an understanding of what Labour stands for but dangling out a full policy slate this far away from a general election leaves you open to 1) being defined by your opponents in ways that might be less than helpful and 2) being in the position where if you do land a good policy, the government can just nick it.