Anyone who has the fortune to see the Labour “battle bus” in their town this week will be hard pressed to avoid the party’s “change” slogan. Keir Starmer’s team have not exactly been subtle with their messaging: the word is emblazoned across the bus’s rose red backdrop … and then rewritten over and over and over again. In the coming weeks, expect the same phrase to be repeated ad nauseam in every interview with the Labour leader.

You can see why. After 14 years of Conservative government – albeit with a revolving door of prime ministers – the one thing that can resonate with British voters across the board is the desire for something different.

And yet the simplicity of Labour’s slogan also points to the campaign’s biggest weakness. A promise for “change” is not necessarily a promise for anything. Delivering it does not require a commitment for more resources for hollowed-out public services, or a significant shift in material conditions for the millions of people struggling to pay their bills. Indeed, it provides no clear outline of what the change will be – just the vague implication that things will be different to how they are now, and perhaps (slightly) better.

This is partly because any disciplined election campaign knows not to overcommit or rock the boat, not least when the past decade has been defined by chaos. It is also, though, a consequence of the economic box Starmer’s Labour has trapped itself in. Conscious of being labelled irresponsible with the public purse and eager to appear pro-business, the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has opted to set strict fiscal rules for the party while simultaneously ruling out taxing higher earners, outside introducing VAT on private school fees and changes to the status of non-doms.

Last week, Reeves........

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