The LRB Podcast On Politics: Keir Starmer’s Mess
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Mar 12, 2026 Jeremy Gilbert, cultural and political theorist at the University of East London, and Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor at The House magazine and Labour reporter, dissect Keir Starmer’s crisis. They discuss the Gorton and Denton by-election shock, party purges and selection battles, the PLP’s managerial instincts, possible successors and whether structural fixes like electoral reform could reshape Britain’s left.
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Starmer's Defensive By-Election Reaction Reveals A Disconnect
- Keir Starmer's emotional post-by-election message framed Greens and Reform as 'extremists' instead of showing humility and listening.
- Sienna Rodgers argues that response revealed a leader focused on grievance-vs-sensible framing that misses voters' real anger and local grievances.
Underreaction And Membership Alienation Hamper A Left Pivot
- The Labour leadership underreacted to electoral warning signs and expelled or alienated much of its activist base instead of shifting left.
- Jeremy Gilbert notes that without a different parliamentary party and leader, a left pivot is practically blocked.
Incremental Policy Won't Convince Voters Seeking Radical Change
- Labour's policy package is real but incremental, so it fails to meet voters who want a decisive break from 50 years of Thatcherite settlement.
- Jeremy compares Labour to Biden: substantive shifts that feel insufficient because they're neither rhetorically nor programmatically bold.