Labour has surged to a staggering 30-point opinion poll lead, with the next general election now Keir Starmer's to lose. However, analysts warn that the Labour leader's caution and lack of long-term vision could still cost him victory.
At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, the mood was buoyant, with shadow ministers, political apparatchiks and corporate figures mingling at a PR company party. One businessman remarked: 'You can just feel it. These people are going to be in government soon. We need to get to know them.'
But despite the optimism, there are concerns that Starmer has not moved far enough from the policies of Ed Miliband. One shadow minister noted that Starmer's key conference announcement — a publicly owned green energy company — was 'vintage Miliband'. Another added that the conference slogan was changed to 'Fairer, Greener Future' at Miliband's insistence.
Conservative advisers see Miliband's resurrection as a glimmer of hope. One No 10 source said: 'We have a long-term economic plan, but where is the long-term economic plan from Labour? Keir's energy package only covers six months, which is emblematic of an absence of long-term thinking and vision.'
Starmer has so far benefited from simply pointing at the Tories and mocking their 'kamikaze' economics. But with Labour now a government in waiting, scrutiny will intensify. The party must present a credible long-term plan to secure victory.
