The Ringmaster Is Leaving the Tent, But The Clowns Are Still Running the Circus.
Welcome back, dear readers, to what may prove to be one of the most extraordinary weeks in the history of Clowning Street.
After 104 weeks of confusion, contortions, excuses, U turns, inquiries, consultations, reviews, working groups, strategy papers and carefully choreographed press conferences explaining why everything that went wrong was somebody else’s fault, the inevitable has finally happened.
The ringmaster is leaving the tent.
Keir Starmer has resigned.
The man who arrived promising competence, seriousness and stability departs leaving behind a circus ring littered with broken props, dropped juggling balls, smouldering political careers and a government whose popularity appears to have fallen faster than a cannonball fired through a trapdoor.
For two years, “Two Tier Keir” stood at the centre of the Big Top of Blunders insisting everything was under control while the audience watched in disbelief as one act after another collapsed around him.
Now the ringmaster has finally taken his bow. The trouble is that nobody is particularly reassured by the performers waiting in the wings.
Because while Starmer may be exited staging left, Labour’s travelling circus remains.
No sooner had Starmer announced his departure than attention turned to the likely contenders for the top job. Chief among them is Andy Burnham, a man who increasingly behaves as though the keys to Number 10 are already in his pocket.
Unfortunately for Labour, Burnham recently admitted that he does not really understand very much including the bond markets.
Now, there are many professions where not understanding bond markets may be perfectly acceptable. Gardening perhaps. Dog walking. Amateur balloon modelling.
Running the sixth largest economy on Earth is not generally considered one of them.
The image of Burnham confidently marching towards Downing Street while admitting uncertainty about the mechanisms that determine borrowing costs, government debt and economic credibility feels rather like discovering the new lion tamer is not entirely clear on which end of the lion is dangerous.
One suspects the financial markets may not find the joke quite as amusing.
Even Donald Trump appeared to weigh in this week, reportedly suggesting Burnham’s approach to North Sea energy policy could leave Britain in serious difficulty. Regardless of one’s view of Trump, the broader point is becoming harder to ignore. Labour’s energy strategy increasingly resembles a circus fire-eater attempting to extinguish flames by pouring petrol on them.
This week brought fresh controversy after it emerged Britain paid vastly inflated prices for imported electricity during the recent heatwave. Critics argue the government’s approach has left the country increasingly dependent on foreign energy while simultaneously restricting domestic production.
It takes a special kind of political genius to sit atop substantial energy resources while importing expensive alternatives and congratulating oneself on environmental leadership.
Ed Miliband’s role in the drama only added to the sense of absurdity. Reports suggesting he blocked proposals linked to North Sea revenues and defence funding have fuelled growing tensions within Labour itself.
At times the Cabinet now resembles less a government and more a troupe of circus contortionists attempting to occupy entirely contradictory positions simultaneously.
One minister wants growth. Another wants restrictions.
One wants energy security. Another wants production reduced.
One wants cheaper bills. Another appears determined to ensure they remain permanently expensive.
The resulting performance is fascinating to watch in much the same way that one might find a three-legged unicycle fascinating to watch. You know exactly how it ends.
Elsewhere, Labour’s migration policy descended into fresh chaos after reports emerged that the Home Office had been accused of concealing plans for twelve new asylum centres from Parliament. Transparency was once marketed as one of Labour’s great virtues. Increasingly it appears to consist of informing people only after the decision has already been made.
The immigration row deepened further when reports emerged of a major split within government over migration reforms, with senior ministers openly clashing over policy.
For a government already suffering from leadership turmoil, public infighting is roughly the equivalent of clowns throwing custard pies at one another while the circus tent is actively collapsing.
Then came Labour’s latest assault on savers. Fresh proposals involving ISA taxation prompted alarm among millions who had done exactly what successive governments encouraged them to do, namely save money, behave responsibly and prepare for the future. Yet under Labour, savers increasingly resemble spectators being charged extra for bringing their own seats to the circus.
The message seems remarkably consistent. If you work hard, save money and plan ahead, expect to hear from the Chancellor shortly.
The same pattern can be seen across the wider economy.
Britain’s airlines now face hundreds of millions of pounds in additional costs linked to green fuel mandates. Rural pubs face mounting pressure from tax rises and employment costs. Small businesses continue warning about recruitment difficulties. And yet ministers appear genuinely surprised when economic growth remains elusive.
At this stage Labour’s economic strategy resembles a magician repeatedly sawing the ladder in half and then expressing shock when nobody can climb it.
Meanwhile, outrage continues over proposals critics say could threaten free speech and parental rights through the government’s planned conversion practices legislation.
The unusual alliance of Christian Concern, the Great British PAC and the Free Speech Union demonstrates just how broad some of these concerns have become. When campaigners from very different backgrounds find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder, governments would normally pause and ask why.
Labour’s instinct, however, often seems to be to continue charging forward and ask questions later.
Record numbers of former council officials receiving six figure pensions only added to the week’s sense of disconnect between governing elites and ordinary taxpayers.
For millions struggling with household bills, rising taxes and economic uncertainty, stories of lavish public sector pension arrangements land particularly badly.
The perception, fair or not, is that there appears to be one set of rules for those inside the Westminster circus and another for the people paying for the tickets.
Perhaps that is why Starmer’s departure feels less like a conclusion and more like the end of the first act.
The ringmaster is going. The audience has stopped applauding. The tent is visibly sagging. Half the performers are blaming each other for the mess. And now the understudies are lining up to take centre stage.
The question facing Britain is no longer whether the previous ringmaster failed. The audience appears to have reached its verdict on that long ago. The question is whether the next one will be any better. Looking at the names currently circling the spotlight, many voters may feel they are simply being offered a choice between different clowns from the same travelling circus.
After 104 weeks of Clowning Street, that is hardly a comforting thought.
The ringmaster may be departing. But the circus remains.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: Links to this week’s top Labour circus acts below:
