Keir Starmer: Agent of Chaos?
Is the man who bored his way to No10 actually a bit of a Joker?
It might seem ridiculous to say of a man who won the last election by out-boring Rishi Sunak, the dullest PM of his generation. But Keir Starmer could well be an agent of chaos in disguise.
We know that he is ruthless in his pursuit of power. His left-liberal critics have been dismayed as he’s morphed from an electable Corbyn to the kind of man who dangles a holiday WITH THE ACTUAL KING in front of Donald Trump to get a marginally preferable deal on tariffs. Cynical, sure. But when you think about it, it’s a pretty risky move.
Nowhere is Starmer’s embrace of chaos more apparent than in his current pursuit of some kind of quick trade deal with the US.
Note: for the rest of the article, I will refer to the trade deal currently under discussion as a “trade deal” on the basis that I don’t believe it will be a full FTA.
First, it will piss off all his liberal supporters who thought Starmerism meant effectively running back to the EU, begging for some kind of backdoor to open up. Second, it will piss off all manner of Labour types, like those who think it will undercut the NHS and food standards, for example. Third, and perhaps most chaotic of all, is that any deal signed in the next few weeks will not be a full-fat FTA. It will therefore not be anywhere near as damaging as Starmer’s left-liberal critics fear as far fewer issues will be up for negotiation.
The crazy thing is, Starmer and his closest allies seem comfortable with people thinking it might be. They seem entirely happy with stories running that Britain might sell out British farmers, roll over for Big Tech and sabotage any chance of a meaningful reset with the EU. In other words, Starmer seems content for his base to believe he is choosing America – Trump’s America – over Europe, at least on trade.
For the record, I don’t think this is what Starmer is doing. Nor do I have any insight into what goes on in his head. But I have been wondering whether Starmer has decided that the best chance Labour has of holding to power is to keep the Right nice and divided. In that sense, a “trade deal” and chumming up to Trump is a brilliant grenade to chuck at the Tories and Reform.
The leadership of both parties have been calling for a trade deal with America for years. Farage in particular has tied so much of his political identity to being mates with Trump, he cannot credibly get stuck into Starmer for nicking his pal.
The Tories, meanwhile, have been screaming about a Brexit sellout ever since it became obvious Starmer was on his way to Number 10. It must be killing Badenoch that even her old magazine, the Spectator, was running articles calling Britain’s lower tariff on liberation day a “Brexit win.”
It’s nonsense, obviously. But you can bet if the Tories were in power they’d be claiming it. Instead, it’s the Korma munching Brussels stooge Sir Keir Starmer who is palling around with the US President. Can you imagine how angry they’ll be if he gets to do a victory lap with a “trade deal”?
On paper, Starmer looks like the kind of person who runs away from chaos. In government, I am starting to think he might be a full-blown shit-stirrer.
Happy Easter,
Luke