Starmer warned he must listen to grassroots

LABOUR LEADER Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by former shadow cabinet ministers that he will be making a “fatal error” not to listen to grassroots activists ahead of the Budget.

The warning comes in a paper co-written by Ian Lavery and Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team but were jettisoned by Sir Keir. The pair, together with ex-MP Laura Smith, said that Sir Keir is wrong to argue against corporation tax increases ahead of today’s Budget.

In their paper, the trio said that “even a Tory Chancellor wants to see increases in corporation tax”, with Rishi Sunak rumoured to be considering a rise as part of the effort to reduce the coronavirus deficit. They argue: “We must remember that corporation tax is a tax on big business profits – not families.

“Having spoken to many members of the Labour movement over the last year, it is becoming clearer that the party is becoming more disconnected from its movement and values.”

The trio – all supporters of Sir Keir’s predecessor Mr Corbyn – claim that trend is “reflected in the wider public” because of Labour’s inability to build an opinion poll lead. “It would be reasonable to predict that the blunder and incompetence of the Prime Minister’s response to the Covid crisis, and his failure to implement adequate emergency measures such as test and trace, would lead to a big hit in the polls,” they said. “This has not happened.”