Why Andy Burnham should offer Keir Starmer this key role in his government – Ian Johnston
Andy Burnham needs to convince Keir Starmer to be a part of his government for the good of the country
Following Keir Starmer’s resignation, heir-apparent Andy Burnham clearly has big decisions to make. Will he throw Starmer’s caution to the wind, and spend big to appease left-wing Labour MPs and convince people that he’s ‘on their side’? Or will he, as promised, stick to the government’s ‘fiscal rules’ and risk achieving too little to win the hearts and minds of a sceptical public?
The temptations of the former approach will be considerable. However, he must resist them, as losing the confidence of the markets would increase the cost of borrowing even further and make his government’s problems worse, not better. One way to signal that he will eschew left-wing populism would be to retain Rachel Reeves’ services as Chancellor. She may have made life more difficult for businesses, but the markets trust her.
However, there is another important player in the Starmer government who should be given a key job – Starmer himself. The Prime Minister may have done a poor job leading the country, making a series of bad decisions followed by embarrassing U-turns and climbdowns, but the one area where he has credit in the bank is foreign affairs.
UK’s staunch support for Ukraine
His efforts to placate Donald Trump have won plaudits and helped keep US tariffs on the UK about as low as could be expected. But he has not simply rolled over for the US President, correctly choosing not to join the US-Israeli attacks on Iran but helping to defend neighbouring countries as the tyrannical regime in Tehran lashed out.
Starmer has also rightly continued the policy of staunch support for Ukraine adopted by the previous Conservative governments, despite Trump’s hostility towards Volodymyr Zelensky and friendly relations with Russia’s evil dictator, Vladimir Putin. Appointing Starmer as Foreign Secretary would be an important signal to the world that the UK’s position on these issues has not changed.
Of course, the wounded Starmer may not wish to take the job. However, to turn it down would be an emotional response, not a reasoned one.
Wasted talent
David Cameron was Prime Minister for six years, but came back seven years later for a brief cameo as Foreign Secretary in Rishi Sunak’s government. I would argue this was a waste of Tory talent and he should have returned sooner. Labour does not have so much talent that it can afford to have people sitting on the sidelines.
Keeping Starmer in government would also send important messages to the public and Labour MPs. Ousting him can be seen as a coup, with the Burnham faction taking control and Starmer loyalists forced to sulk on the backbenches, waiting for an opportunity to have their revenge.
However, if Burnham is able to be magnanimous enough in victory to offer the post of Foreign Secretary and Starmer can swallow his pride and accept, it would be a signal that both men are committed to party unity, rather than factionalism, and, more importantly, are willing to put their obvious differences aside to work together in the national interest.
Based on recent experience, which has fostered public cynicism, this is probably unlikely. But Burnham, who has promised a different kind of politics, must realise that Britain desperately needs politicians to demonstrate that their over-riding priority is the good of the country – and not their own self-serving ambition.
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