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PMQs: Labour leader Starmer's political distancing
Jun 3, 2020
In one of his first acts as Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer announced he would not indulge in opposition for opposition's sake.
This was seen as a decisive break from his own party's recent past.
But now he wants to create more distance between the government and the opposition.
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Some say they have noted a more hostile, less consensual tone towards Boris Johnson from Sir Keir.
In an interview with the Guardian , he has suggested that the prime minister lacks "grip".
But, in truth, Sir Keir's stated policy of "constructive criticism" has already tended to emphasise the latter of those two words at Prime Minister's Questions.
And his approach today has much in common with his approach before - to put down a marker in case things go wrong.
One step beyond
Sir Keir called for an exit strategy from the government at a time when some of his own MPs - and certainly grassroots members - wanted to see him clash with No 10 more robustly on issues of the day.
He now feels vindicated as he believes the lack of a strategy - "an exit without a strategy", as he puts it - is becoming apparent.
The Labour leader is determined to stay one step ahead of the government.
So, by raising questions now over the easing of lockdown while doubts remain about the alert level and the efficacy of the track and trace system, he is positioning the party to distance itself further from the government's approach if the R number goes up.
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