Iran war is Keir Starmer's strongest moment but a nightmare lies ahead |
Iran war is Keir Starmer's strongest moment but a nightmare lies ahead
Prime Minister has seen approval ratings improve over his handling of the current conflict, but this will be quickly forgotten as the economic impact hits home in Britain
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking today(Image: PA)
There is little doubt that Sir Keir Starmer's handling of the Iran war is his strongest moment in office since the early days of his premiership, when he bounced into Number 10 Downing Street on the back of a thumping parliamentary majority.
The first Labour Prime Minister since 2010 saw early praise for his government's handling of the riots that engulfed Britain in the summer of 2024, but a series of policy mishaps, embarrassing u-turns and a perception that he has lost control of his MPs has seen Sir Keir's approval ratings sink to the point where many have wondered how long he can continue in the job.
Enter the Iran war, a devastating conflict orchestrated by the United States and Israel earlier this year, which is having profound impacts on the global order and economies everywhere.
Now no leader - even the most beleaguered - would seriously welcome the kind of economic shock that such a conflict would bring, but it is reasonable to suggest the situation in the Middle East and Starmer's handling of it has worked out well for the under-pressure PM.
Despite barracking from his political rivals - and a relentless stream of unhinged abuse from the unpredictable man in the Oval Office - Sir Keir has been steadfast in his view that this is not Britain's war and we will not be dragged into it. This is a stance the country supports.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking today(Image: Getty Images)
This is not something that Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage can boast. The Conservative leader has been furiously trying to backpedal in the weeks after pressing the PM on his decision not to launch offensive strikes. Having asked: "Why is he asking our allies to do what we should be doing ourselves?” she is now denying calling for the UK to join Donald Trump's war.
At PMQs this provoked one of Starmer's better recent performances, stating that Ms Badenoch's attempted u-turns on the subject have "utterly disqualified her from ever becoming Prime Minister." After the Tory leader dropped another clanger by accusing British service personnel in the RAF of just 'hanging around', his appraisal of her prospects seems a fair one.
The PM's cautious stance on Iran and his defiance of Trump is backed by the British public. A new poll for the Independent shows that Sir Keir's personal approval rating increases by 26 points when voters are reminded of his spat with the US President.
While the Prime Minister's ratings remain low at minus 14, this is a serious improvement from the minus 40 he registers when the Iran conflict is not highlighted.
With this in mind, Sir Keir struck a similarly robust tone in his press conference this morning. He spoke firmly when he said to those that worry Britain could be dragged into the war that "we won't."
And he captured the enormous stakes of this period as he stated: "It is the job of governments to meet these moments. How we emerge from this crisis will define us for a generation."
In politics, positive moments don't tend to last very long and after enjoying a small turnaround in his popularity, Sir Keir will know that a nightmarish existence lies ahead.
Because his insistence that Britain defies its biggest ally and stays out of the war does not mean we will not feel its sharpest economic impacts - we already are.
And when the people of this country, who are still feeling the pain of a cost of living crisis spurred on by Ukraine, by covid, even by the financial crash of 2008, feel that once again they cannot pay their bills, put food on their table or enjoy their lives - the memories of the Prime Minister's powerful rhetoric right now will be quickly forgotten and all eyes will focus on how he steers the nation through yet another economic disaster.