Former Number 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell has warned that the United Kingdom could end up in a “dark place” if the Labour-run government fails, while likening Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to former US president George W. Bush. Speaking to Holyrood Magazine, the former adviser to Sir Tony Blair said Sir Keir struggles to convey his personality through the media.
Comparison to George W. Bush
Mr Campbell noted that former President Bush gained a reputation for gaffes during his time in the White House, a period when he spent considerable time with Sir Tony during his tenure as Prime Minister. However, Mr Campbell spoke highly of Bush in private settings. “He reminds me, to this regard only, of George W. Bush,” he said. “George W. Bush was somebody who if he were here now sitting on that sofa chatting to you, you would think, what a charming, funny guy. And why has he got this reputation of being stupid, because he’s really clever? As soon as the cameras came on him, he was a different being.”
Mr Campbell added: “And I sometimes feel like if you could only see Keir in a kind of real human setting, he can be impressive, he can be charming, be all the things that you’d want a political leader to be. There’s something about the mechanism of modern political communication that I think sometimes stops him being himself.”
Warning of a 'Dark Place'
Despite Labour struggling in UK-wide polls and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gaining ground, the former strategist—who now hosts a podcast—said he was “confident” the situation could be turned around. However, he cautioned: “If it isn’t turned around, by the way, we are in deep shit. Because if this government, if this Labour government, doesn’t succeed I think we’re going to a pretty dark place.”
Impact on Scottish Labour
Mr Campbell conceded that the Government’s unpopularity had been a “massive drag” on the Scottish Labour campaign ahead of the May 7 election in Scotland. He expressed being “really sad” for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. In recent years, the party has shifted from competing with the SNP to be the largest party to vying with Reform for second place, according to polls. Nonetheless, senior Labour figures remain confident that Mr Sarwar could become First Minister after May 7.
