Boris Johnson was “dishonest”, said Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer when he claimed that the prime minister is now seen by voters for “what he really is”.
Sir Keir said, “I don’t think a lot of people will believe him, I certainly don’t” of his reaction to allegations of banning Downing Street Christmas parties.
His comments came when former Prime Minister David Cameron said Mr Johnson was able to “get away with” things he couldn’t, including bypassing media controls and hiring a personal photographer at taxpayers’ expense.
In an interview with Times Radio, Sir Keir signaled that he would not enter into formal pacts with rival parties to defeat the Conservatives, but did announce that he would focus resources on seats most likely to vote for the Labor party.
The Liberal Democrats took by-election victories from the Tories in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham in 2021 and will pose more of a threat to Mr Johnson’s party than Labor in some of their southern core countries.
Sir Keir said, “I think we should have a Labor candidate that people can vote for, wherever they live. And to withhold that from them is not the right thing to do. “
But “given the size of the task we are facing and given my absolute determination to get it through the next parliamentary elections, I am very clear what our target seats are”.
He said that people like North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham were “not on my list of target seats” and “I have to take an approach that is clearly on the route for the Labor Party, given the situation we are in.” to come to power in the next parliamentary elections ”.
Reclaiming seats in Scotland is also one of the main challenges Labor faces if it is to win the next election.
Sir Keir said he had to show Scottish voters that there was a “realistic prospect” of a Labor government, suggesting that many would rely more on opposition to the Tories than deeply rooted support for the SNP and independence be motivated.
“The idea that people are only concerned about the constitutional issue when crossing the border into Scotland is just not my experience,” he said. “People talk about the cost of living, they talk about health.”
Sir Keir said he had three goals in becoming Labor leader: change parties, “expose” the government and present the opposition as a credible alternative government.
He added: “I don’t think that after the 2019 defeat we can look at the voters and say what’s wrong with them. We had to look at our party and say what’s wrong with us.”
Sir Keir said he wanted to “expose the government for what it really is” and that this is now being done “with the active support of the government itself”.
The Labor leader said it would be “hard work” to convince voters that his party was a waiting government, but “I am absolutely determined that we can do whatever we need to before the next elections”.
He said it was “nonsense” to say he was not very political, adding, “The gap from -25 (in the polls) to being ahead of the government in less than two years after the worst defeat Having closed in 2019, I think shows a bit of politics. “
Sir Keir’s personal criticism of the Prime Minister – “I think he’s dishonest” – came when the former Prime Minister questioned Cameron Johnson’s handling of the media.
The Prime Minister hired Andrew Parsons as special advisor with a focus on photography – an echo of a move Mr Cameron tried but later gave up in the face of an outcry over a vanity appointment at taxpayers’ expense.
Mr Cameron told Sky News, “Well Boris has always been able to get away with things that mere mortals don’t seem to be able to do.”
He says, “You shouldn’t do this to bypass the media”.
Mr Cameron also criticized the Prime Minister’s decision to boycott appearances on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today for a long period of his tenure – his appearance on the show in October 2021 was the first time he had appeared in two years.
The former Prime Minister said, “I have never held back from participating in the Today program,” adding, “We have always been available and keen to get involved and answer questions”.
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