How Labour party leader lost authority over two days of confusion and drama before state opening of parliament
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s the afternoon faded in Westminster, final preparations were being made for Wednesday’s state opening of parliament, where King Charles will set out a year-long legislative programme for a government that even its most ardent allies fear might not last the week. Once again, here we are.
Keir Starmer is still the UK’s prime minister. It is even possible he might be in a few months from now. But after two days punctuated by confusion and drama on a scale that belies Labour’s promise to end years of political upheaval, his authority appears shredded. What is less certain is what exactly that means.
It had been widely anticipated that Starmer would come under intense pressure should Labour face a drubbing in last Thursday’s elections in England, Scotland and Wales – which they duly did. A speech on Monday was heralded as a make-or-break reset, but widely considered a dud.
