Starmer’s challenge

Sir Keir Starmer continues to struggle with the Left-wing baggage he inherited from Jeremy Corbyn’s time at the Labour helm. His speech earlier this week was designed to chart a new direction for the party, towards the middle ground once occupied by Tony Blair.

Yesterday’s decision to sack Sam Tarry, Labour’s former transport spokesman who joined a rail strike picket line, continued on that theme. It will, no doubt, provoke an almighty backlash from the Left of the party who will argue that he failed to take similar action against other frontbenchers who were seen on union picket lines last month.

Yet the real test for the Labour leader is much bigger than Mr Tarry’s position. Starmer will be judged on his handling of the rail strikes altogether, which are set to continue through the summer and make life a misery and more costly for people getting to and from work. This issue brings into the equation the parts of the Labour movement that have long proved a drag on the party’s fortunes, namely the trade unions.

Their power and influence remain strong because the party needs their money, but Sir Keir does not want to be seen to be backing action on the railways because he also needs the votes of those being inconvenienced by the stoppages.

Even so, Labour is clearly not prepared to back anything that will limit the damage that militant trade unions can cause. The Government says it will finally bring forward legislation to impose a minimum service requirement during industrial action as promised in the 2019 Conservative election manifesto. Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, called this a “fantasy”. Not to millions of long suffering rail passengers it isn’t.