When the ambitious former human rights lawyer won a landslide victory in the 2024 general elections, hope was in the air. Keir Starmer came on a promise to repair 14 years of Conservative damage. Exactly two years later, he was forced out of his job amid anger and disappointment across the country. He is a decent man, we have been told repeatedly, but he is the most disliked Prime Minister since modern polling began.
As Starmer walked towards the lectern outside Downing Street he certainly looked the part. The elegant gray suit, the immaculately slicked side quiff, and the dignified seriousness you’d expect from a Prime Minister. But he could not deliver.
Did it have to be this way? guardian columnist rafael behr says Nosheen Iqbal Why Starmer seemed so strong in opposition, but found it so difficult to lead.
