It is mission critical that Labour repairs the contract between citizen and state | Andrew Rawnsley

Proving that government can be a force for good is essential if Sir Keir Starmer is to see off the populist right

Listening to Sir Keir Starmer’s recent lament that the “flabby” state is failing Britain was to experience deja vu all over again. More than a quarter of a century has passed since another Labour prime minister, one Tony Blair, vented his frustration with the public sector by complaining that trying to reform government had left him with “scars on my back”. In similar vein, David Cameron’s lot used to excuse their struggles to get stuff done by blaming resistance from the amorphous administrative “Blob”. Dominic Cummings told Boris Johnson that the solution was to pack Number 10 with “weirdos”, “misfits” and “wild cards” – a self-description if ever there was one – while purging the senior civil service. He was still working his way through his “shit list” of mandarins when he got the boot himself. You will not recall the Johnson administration as an able and stable outfit dedicated to serving the needs of the public. The grim chaos of that period is a warning to the current government that braggadocio, stunts and wheezes will not make the state smarter.

Most prime ministers become exasperated with the bureaucracy under them at some point. It has taken eight months for Sir Keir to conclude that a “weak”, “overstretched” and “unfocused” state is failing to properly perform its “core purposes”. He’s not wrong. The contract between government and citizenry is in a bad way. “The public has lost faith in the state to deliver,” says one cabinet minister who worries about this a lot. “People find themselves paying more in tax, but do they feel the benefit in the public realm? They don’t.”

Topics

Labour MP Mike Amesbury to stand down over assault conviction

Resignation will trigger first by-election of Sir Keir Starmer’s government
Financial Times - Mar. 10
Keir Starmer plans to reshape the Britain's ‘flabby’ state. But don’t compare him to Elon Musk

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has won praise for his efforts to marshal international support for Ukraine as President Donald Trump’s economic and foreign policies roil the world
ABC News - 4d
Charities and MPs warn Starmer over benefits changes

Sir Keir Starmer has faced concerns from Labour backbenchers who have expressed anger at proposals.
BBC News - 10h
UK helped Ukraine and US reach ceasefire deal, government sources say

Sir Keir Starmer led European efforts to mend Trump-Zelensky relationship, UK government sources tell the BBC.
BBC News - 5d
Chris Mason: Starmer echoes Liz Truss on reform of government

Sir Keir's argument overlaps with the former PM's - that the proliferation of arm's length bodies slow down change.
BBC News - 4d
UK financial regulators in retreat as prime minister piles on pressure

City cheers Sir Keir Starmer’s crackdown on red tape but there are questions over how much it can boost growth
Financial Times - 5d
Keir Starmer’s poll ratings leap after Trump withdraws support for Ukraine

Around 30% of voters say they prefer Labour for dealing with ‘allies against threats to the UK’ in boost to party leader. Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have shot up since Donald Trump returned to ...
The Guardian - Mar. 8
Keir Starmer scraps NHS England to put health service ‘into democratic control’

Health secretary says end of ‘biggest quango in world’ is final nail in coffin of Andrew Lansley’s 2012 reorganisation. . Keir Starmer has brought the health service back under the control of ...
The Guardian - 4d
Keir Starmer defends planned welfare cuts to anxious Labour MPs

Prime minister wants to reform disability benefit payments to help fund greater spending on defence
Financial Times - Mar. 10

More from The Guardian

White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportations

Trump administration used Alien Enemies Act to deport about 250 alleged gang members to El Salvador. US politics live – latest updates The White House has denied allegations that it engaged in ...
The Guardian - 19m
Carney visits Macron and Starmer as he seeks alliances amid Trump trade war

Canadian PM stresses importance of ‘reliable allies’ in Paris before travelling to London where he was received by king. Canada is the “most European of the non-European countries”, Mark Carney has ...
The Guardian - 35m
Cop30 in talks to hire PR firm that worked for lobby seeking weaker Amazon protections

Revealed: Edelman worked for Brazilian trade group accused of pushing for environmental rollbacks in Amazon. Edelman, the world’s largest public relations agency, is in talks to work with the ...
The Guardian - 4h
Mourners protest against corruption in North Macedonia after nightclub fire

Demonstrators call for change and justice for 59 victims after tragedy blamed on multiple safety violations. With flags still flying at half mast in North Macedonia, grief over a fire that tore ...
The Guardian - 51m
Russia behind arson attack on Ikea store in Lithuanian capital, says prosecutor

People suspected of involvement in 2024 Vilnius attack also accused of links to crimes in Poland. Lithuanian prosecutors have blamed the Russian military intelligence service for being behind an ...
The Guardian - 3h