Will Britain let Keir Starmer govern?

A few weeks after Keir Starmer’s landslide, it may not seem like Britain is a conservative country. The left has won an enormous victory and started to push forward on its agenda. Policies are being announced: today Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, says the government will start building offshore wind turbines. But, as Labour settles into government, there are signs it may be already be getting bogged down by an institutional and cultural conservatism that has long held Britain back from doing things.

Threats to Starmer’s ‘change’ are starting to emerge. The arsenal deployed against Tory plans over the years – from endless consultations to judicial reviews and human rights challenges – now threatens Labour plans. ECHR-driven lawfare could apparently be waged against proposed planning reform and adding VAT to private school fees. Even if these reviews and legal obstacle fail, they would add delay and costs to the decisions Labour promised in its manifesto.