Labour government is "essential - but will offend" | Andrew Marr | Election 2024 | The New Statesman

“Messianic” Keir Starmer will need to upset a lot of people to rebuild the country, says Andrew Marr
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“I don’t think he’s a socialist”, says Andrew Marr, but Keir Starmer’s task as Prime Minister - to restore Britain - “is going to annoy a lot of people”.
Marr cites capital gains tax, council tax and inheritance tax as three areas where a Starmer government might need to make changes in order to succeed in their “essential” mission. He also suggests a “rebalance” of wealth from the South East to the Midlands and the North of England may cause consternation in Conservative England.
Andrew joins Hannah Barnes and Freddie Hayward on the New Statesman podcast, as Britain counts down to the UK general election on July 4th.
Read more: the end of Tory England, by Andrew Marr: www.newstatesman.com/politics...
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The UK general election will take place on July 4, 2024 - and the New Statesman will be with you every step of the way. Our journalists including Hannah Barnes, Andrew Marr, Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker will bring you analysis of the Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Green and Reform election campaigns as well as the best polling analysis and reaction from around the UK. The 2024 election will be the biggest shake-up of UK politics in years. Subscribe to the New Statesman on KZbin to stay informed.
Watch all the latest episodes of the New Statesman podcast here: • The New Statesman Podcast
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[@cvllum4769]

Labour should reassess drugs policies - the war on drugs has failed. We are missing out on large financial gains and savings that could be attained by legalising cannabis. We could also do great things in the field of medicine through psychedelic research

[@barryboom717]

Not to mention the benefits to the snack food industry.

[@beatonthedonis]

The Americans won't permit it.

[@Bob_the_Jedi]

No

[@findlayjackson6845]

@@beatonthedonispsychedelic research yes. But the tax money from cannabis alone, you cannot ignore that

[@grumreapur]

Lib Dems actually have cannabis legalisation as part of their policies. The money saved from policing, added to the money made from a 30% tax (or more, like in other countries where it's legal) could do WONDERS for the economy. I don't partake myself, but I used to. You want to get the disenfranchised to vote, this is one particular area where they'd clamber over each other to vote

[@rogerwileman9965]

Why isn’t anybody telling the country that no matter who wins there is going to be some VERY hard times. People must understand that there is so much to do that it will take time to fix

[@mrD66M]

There are always hard times to someone... as long as the wealthy share the hard times as well fair enough I'm not making fun of this, there are many people who are working themselves into exhaustion but can barely make ends meet, others are in chronic ill health, cancer etc and have no reliable access to a doctor Anyone with half a functioning brain KNEW what Brexit meant even back in 2016.. but folk stuck their fingers in their ears and voted for "Rule Britannia" Maybe the country suffering more is what it takes for people to wise up.

[@aragornthebrave]

Prob true, but doesn't have to be. Tax reform would solve a lot of problems very quickly.

[@Matt-ou7tu]

Yawn. There was far bigger problems after WW2. The country was essentially Bankrupt with a debt to gdp ratio of 250% and yet the NHS was created after this time period. It's about political decisions.

[@the-sparkeologist]

And dare I say, a responsible smart immigration policy could help tremendously.

[@QPRTokyo]

Marr has the image of people in the south being rich, he obviously is out of touch with the working class and lower middle classes in that area. He didn’t mention illegal immigration’s pressure on housing and resources. England is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Scotland’s density is extremely low. Marr to me has never shaken off his extreme left views he had when he was young. I hope I am wrong but if Labour over tax wealthier people, they will move their money out of the UK.

[@johnalbinson4641]

My biggest disappointment is not seeing redwood loose his seat. He had bailed out like rats leaving the ship.

[@Matt-ou7tu]

The sad thing is that Labour won't do anything to make meaningful positive changes to people's lives. They'll follow the same fiscal conservatism/Neoliberalism of the Tories which in turn will lead to dissatisfaction, and will lead to a reinvigorated and regrouped Tory party led by some nutter knocking them out of power. Labour will then be in the wilderness for years, leading to Labour figures of the Starmer government complaining there was no money to do anything. Despite the fact that after WW2, Britain was essentially bankrupt with a debt to gdp ratio of 250%, and yet it was in the time period after this that the NHS was born and other social initiatives. Economics growth became decent during this period aswell. Labour won't significantly borrow to invest though, they'll stick to their economic dogma which will lead to continued poor growth and everything I outlined.

[@williamhenry8914]

Yeah it's a real shame Lib Dems got so little attention. I will vote Labour but I don't like the unfair treatment. It must disappoint off Lib Dem voters and cause them to lose trust in our electoral process. Annd it ain't right to criticise Ed Davey for "frivolity" in doing bungee jumps etc. Faced with almost ZERO press coverage he wasn't left much other choice.

[@sanusimustaphafofanah3475]

7😅 ytr😢727u😅y46

[@michaelellis7326]

RUBBISH !!

[@georgesotiriou7051]

A dignified campaign was also a choice

[@SamSamSamSamSam]

I'm not too sure what your point is here - they are probably going to roughly quadruple their seats? That is pretty much the best result they could have ever hoped for.

[@williamhenry8914]

@@georgesotiriou7051 A dignified campgain tthat nobody ever hears about isn't much of a chocie for a politician.

[@georgestein8211]

You are wrong, Young Man, about the LibDems' alleged "detached frivolity". This has been a smart PR initiative in a media landscape where unelected Farage gets way more exposure (and BBCQT invites) than a Party that is actually represented in Parliament. Awareness of Ed Davey and of the LibDems is much higher. And this is a Good Thing, especially in the Southeast, as a realistic alternative for disillusioned traditional Tory voters.

[@simonlever]

The LibDems are a frivolity. They don't have a compelling message for anything and cater for those who want life to be nice and comfortable.

[@peterclarke7240]

EXACTLY! I personally think the lib dems have played a blinder of a campaign, because they KNEW they would be ignored in favour of getting clickbait firebrands like Farage in, so instead they've run a campaign in which they CAN'T be ignored, even if they rarely get invited into the studio to get toadied up to by interviewers.

[@hawsrulebegin7768]

Young man? Patronising isn’t a good way to make a point.

[@Afterthoughtbtw]

As regards the frivolity of the Lib Dems, I actually think that has been vital in reviving their prospects after the disastrous last 14 years. They have been completely delusional since Brexit, pretty much, and the frivolity has been a clever way of making them seem more human and less supercilious.

[@advocate1563]

Davey should be facing prison for his role in project Horizon.

[@pastyman001]

@@advocate1563 Ridiculous. Davey was the first minister to meet Alan Bates and raise the issue with all concerned

[@andrewlane4766]

I'm not a Lib Dem but Davey is the only one talking about social care - one of the biggest issues facing this nation. Your journalist can perhaps tell us why it doesn't matter? The sort of smug westminster bubble crap that does you no good at all

[@CeticWales]

Council tax reform would be England only, it could not impact Wales. THe Welsh Labour Government has its own plans to reform council tax but Vaughan Gething has shelved them,

[@allenmontrasio8962]

If you're not upsetting somebody, you're not doing a good job.

[@willtricks9432]

Was that one of Stalin's?

[@davidgardiner4720]

If Sir Keir upsets the people suggested by Mr Marr then I for one will be satisfied by the progress.in my m mid seventies, a home owner and receiving an adequate but not over-generous pension I find myself more entrenched on the left than ever, but this would be a good start.

[@UK75roger]

It's possible that the LDs may manage to return as many MPs as Charles Kennedy - let's hope that Ed Davey will support similar policies...

[@accomuk]

I wonder if the Liberals do actually become the 2nd biggest party, if they would be less confrontational with a Starmer Government than the Tories would be, and if they actually do what is the best idea for the Country?

[@Milominderbender586]

I think it would be a good thing that parties look to find areas of agreement, it cannot happen with the Tory party, they have thrown themselves into the ‘ Wedge issue “ permanent campaigning as championed by Isaac Levido, which is one of the reasons the Tories were so utterly useless as a government. But Lib Dem’s as third largest party could allow for more consensus and productive parliamentary debate. You never know maybe some grown up politics.

[@vivianjames9925]

@@Milominderbender586 or even second largest party.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

For fear of this is why they have been excluded from coverage

[@wizardwombat3770]

Would prefer if we had whole podcast episodes uploaded instead of having a whole episode sliced, clipped and posted individually - perhaps it would be a good idea to post each episode in its entirety at the end of the week, when said slicing and clipping of individual segments have been posted?

[@ShaunieDale]

When Andrew Marr started with the all the “flibble flobble wibble wobble” stuff I thought he was reading a Boris Johnson script. As for political experience look where that has got us. The current crop of incompetents all come from the same background via the same revolving door. That door needs bricking up.

[@nigelhardy7218]

Freddie's cynicism is rather healthy for a person in their twenties; it counterbalances Marr's optimism. I hope his optimism is not misplaced. Any real change for us to become a more balanced country will be resisted when vested interests see their cosy way of life threatened.

[@tarscase7653]

I was going to comment the opposite. I'm not sure if it's done as he is young, and ng opposing Marrs opinions he can stand out, but I find it all rather trite. I have yet to see a forward looking piece of analysis from him. It's primarily doom and gloom, revelling in schadenfreude at the state of the country.

[@owencarlstrand1945]

It seems to me that the Lib Dem’s will indeed be important as they will certainly benefit from a lot of tactical voting.

[@jennybyford8071]

I hope he is good and I’m wrong I really do.

[@VesiustheBoneCruncher]

For poorer families in the south, the council tax revision will go down like a lead balloon. Minimum wage isn’t any higher here, although rent certainly is. This is already a very expensive part of the country to live in.

[@magicmayhem69]

As someone who lives in the south and already finds my council tax high, I do agree, however when the average house in Mayfair is paying the same or even less than a terraced house in the North, something is very wrong. Currently, the North basically subsidises the south, and there certainly needs reform of the system to be fairer.

[@lheureexquise140]

There isn't going to be a council tax revision. Poor deluded Andrew Marr is in a fantasy world.

[@piccalillipit9211]

I doubt Labour would be hammering low income families

[@hammondpickle]

Well maybe, but it's not beyond the wit of humankind to fix both problems at once.

[@totalvoid6234]

@@lheureexquise140 He's not deluded he's a liar. He couldn't be that gullible and have lived this long without eating glue.

[@glostergloster6945]

Ed Daveys frivolity has got the media to focus on them. Job done. Says a lot about our client media

[@evonne_o]

👍

[@RoofLight00]

I would like to know why labour are thinking of putting black rock in charge of our vital infrastructure? They’re a private company that puts its investors first. They have a record of not delivering value for money and leaving services worse off. Black rock will privatise Britain with our tax money as a sweetener. I have awful memories of PFI and the overspend that cost the public dearly, paying extortionate amounts to private contractors that built, designed and financed public services like prisons, schools and hospitals before handing them back to the state, often in very bad condition. Big finance plan to own our infrastructure outright to generate profit and steady revenue, that really should belong to the public. We should not tolerate the government handing out public services for privatised infrastructure. Black rock has already bought £1.4 billion of rental homes and non performing mortgages from Vistry in the uk alone. This has delivered higher rents and displacement of lower income tenants. There’s already been big pushback against institutional landlords from Copenhagen to Berlin, Dublin and Madrid. The state should be building new public housing not black rock. This investment by black rock also makes it much harder to bring public goods back into public ownership and allows private finance to tighten its grip on the social contract with citizens to become the ultimate arbiter of climate, energy and welfare politics which will have profound distributional, structural and political consequences. Black rock has already lobbied heavily against fossil fuel regulation it is highly likely that our future energy costs could spiral under black rock and could embolden anti green movements that tie into authoritarian and right wing politics. Labour need to answer these questions and I come at this as someone who’s father was a die hard labour supporter in the 70s and 80s. We need to plan creatively for the future and not let private investment suck public money from our trough like pigs. Edit I have really really over simplified some of this so it’s easier to understand, but believe it that black rock are financial investment company behemoth that is not good for uk citizens and not good for humanity. They are parasites that will leave us all much much worse off globally as well as domestically. We should be fighting tooth and nail to stop them. Spread the word…. Thank you!

[@pgf289]

I hope Labour do finds ways to raise more money for investment, either by borrowing, through arms-length investment vehicles, or taxes. The big question is how will they frame this for the public, and the financial markets. Will they come in and say "things are even worse than the Tories let on, there are huge budgetary black holes that can't be filled with fictitious 'efficiencies', councils are on the brink etc" Or will they use a more positive narrative of "the economy is on the up, decent growth is predicted, the markets trust us and will lend to us" which might be easier politically but also might undermine any tax rises (which need to happen sooner or later regardless) and also turn people off radical change as they might quite quickly start to feel like things are getting better with inflation dropping rapidly (which is nothing to do with either party).

[@lheureexquise140]

Oh, they will be using "arms length investment vehicles" (aka privatisation).

[@andybrice2711]

The other question is how will they spend it? Will they put it into universally beneficial services like underfunded schools? Or elitist vanity projects?

[@jeremymanson1781]

The markets are fine with long term investment in sensible projects. Its using borrowing to cover unfunded tax give aways 'a la Truss' that freaks out the markets.

[@Joe-zx2tc]

Trouble is that borrowing is more expensive now than it has been for the past 14 years because interest rates are higher. The conservative government basically squandered the lowest interest rates in history which they could've used to borrow and invest into the country, and instead did the opposite, cutting back government spending in almost every area of society. Then if that wasn't enough, the uncertainty of Brexit also led to a huge fall in private investment from businesses. The result is that our economy has only just grown above its 2007 level in nominal gdp, while gdp per capita has fallen, and our population has grown about 6 million since.

[@lheureexquise140]

@@jeremymanson1781 = "the markets always work correctly". This is nonsense as the current low levels of investment in the UK show.

[@ThisUnfoldingCrisis]

I’m a political junkie, but every time I hear Andrew Marr, I learn 1-2 new things…..that is a pretty nice gift to have. Cheers Andrew

[@artistglyn]

I find it difficult to believe that, as a nation, we can't see that the only way to have a sound social care system, a proper legal systen, an education system that works for all, and a road network that is fit for purpose is to pay more tax. More tax, but in a more balanced way. Our financial aystem has been skewed towards the wealthy for 40 years. A rebalance is deperatly needed. The broadest shoulders need to do the heavy lifting. It's not rocket science.

[@nicksimmons7234]

Freddie just proving how young he is, those of us who grew up under Thatcher government have seen this all before.

[@terrancehall9762]

They project Starmer so hard. He is a weak opportunist. Britain was never a "happy place". Blair at best was stable and compotent.

[@spacechannelfiver]

Not my cup of tea; but willing to give him a chance - what other options do we have?

[@TimoDyer]

Totally agree

[@kayedal-haddad]

The Greens, The Workers Party, The SDP etc.

[@TimoDyer]

@@kayedal-haddad the greens may get 2 seats. That's it.

[@spacechannelfiver]

@@kayedal-haddad it was a rhetorical question, none of those are options.

[@cherylburrows1655]

Have a cup of tea and vote for something better

[@lindsaybelderson7735]

The problem is, along with the devastation of covid, Brexit has made Britain a very angry, miserable, cynical, desperate and impoverished country. This could be the last "normal" government Britain ever has before it's torn apart by xenophobic populism and bitter polarisation.

[@drewbryk]

Blame the media, not E.D.

[@evonne_o]

👍

[@CliveDunmall]

I'm already fed up with Labours policies .Somehow you seem to suggest in order to fix things a wealth tax and/or Capital Gains will have to be implemented . Fine by me ,but if they appear to fail to fix services, people will feel the same as me now and turn to alternative parties .

[@beatricecowley4307]

I dont see how Labour can do any thing unless you see a raise in taxes. There is a benefit bill of £265.5 half of which goes to pensioners. This could be cut but would that be enongh? Every service that many people use and depend has been cut to the bone. Social care is one. Support for special needs education the list just goes on. Where is the money coming from? You can only cut benefit once once that money has been used we will then go to plate juggling to pay the bills. The point is we need an opposition who whilst holding Labour to acount wont do everything they can to block services getting as much money as is available to them to score political points. The more power/ majority the government has the better it will be at hopefully moving forward at funding urgent services and lets not forget Nationa Security which has been outlined as being no longer fit to protect the country. That will need investment as well. The Tories in opposition will only bring pain to people and services that have suffered enough.

[@localshaman]

Don't think Starmer has to worry about pressure from the left in his government given he's booted out anyone remotely left wing from the party. With the exception of Abbott who he hoped would walk out on her own.

[@tobytroubs]

really ? .....Rayner ?

[@moleyhtfc]

@@tobytroubs Rayner on the left. Hahahaha.

[@peterclarke7240]

If you get your head out of your arse for five seconds, you'll realise what Labour did wasn't purging left-wing politicians, but purging the loose cannons who couldn't be trusted not to do something stupid and wreck Labour's chances and hand the Tories enough of a victory to ruin Labour's ability to get anything done. Also, how on EARTH do you expect Labour to be able to take a moral high ground against Tory sleaze if they're not following their own rules, which are basically that IF there is an accusation, then suspension occurs, which is no different than in ANY job that isn't run by a bunch of nepotistic, corrupt gangsters.

[@richardperkins1065]

Back in March, Andrew Marr said in the podcast that Starmer would be a radical PM. Now he says Starmer won't be and he's not a socialist. Hardly news.

[@QPRTokyo]

I predict Starmer will be ousted before the end of his term.

[@sbGOM]

From someone who's never voted right of centre in hi 71 years old life, I can tell you that the world is turning right. The fact Britain is about to get a centre left government is more to do with little alternative rather than a yearning for left wing policies. Labour can ignore issues that concern working people, like immigration, collapsing NHS and social justice issues overruling common sense, as much as they like, but these things DO matter to the once rusted on Labour voters. They ignore these people at their peril. Like or loathe Reform, their message will get traction amongst these voters unless Labour returns to its constituents. I'm very confident Labour will be on the nose by the middle of next summer as the tide of boat people turns into a torrent. Oh, for a left of centre reformist party.

[@isbestlizard]

Why is it "essential" to do tory polices without the tories?

[@roguetrooper5401]

Manifesto is that not just another way of saying the complete and utter crap we tell you lot so you vote for us but have no intention of doing what ever party they come from

[@vivianjames9925]

I don't know why people say Ed Davey hasn't got what it takes. I don't want a leader who can shout somebody else down in parliament - I want somebody who has gone into politics to make lives better for people. Being caring and compassionate isn't a weakness; it's the biggest strength that somebody can have. If you're in charge, and you surround yourself with people who also want to serve the people, then your government will be strong, and they will lift the people of this country up. It's not about sorting out everything that needs sorting - that's too big a task for any party with the coffers being almost empty. It's about using the resources that can be made available in the fairest way possible, for the good of the people who need it most. That's too simplistic I know, but if you face the people of this country with humility - take away greed and hunger for power - and work with the people, you can have an economy of compassion, using our resources fairly for the good of all, and the good of the environment. I've seen TED Talks about an economy of compassion, and the people who spoke have scaled it down to use in their own companies - it replaces an economy of greed where the people at the top have everything, and fight to keep it that way.

[@Skol999]

Offend away, Keir. I've been offended by the tories for most of my life.

[@richardhussey-cq2se]

Labour government is not essential. Nor is Andrew Marr, or The New Statman!

[@vivianjames9925]

When you consider the shambles that has been caused over the past few years by many experienced MPs, I don't think that having fresh people with less political experience is a problem - it might even be advantageous.

[@Jaaj2009]

Starmer hasn't even challenged the fact that he has basically dropped everything he pledged to his own party by him saying "I've changed my party". He effectively is saying the ends justify the means, if he wins the election it doesn't matter. It depends if this type of politics is something you are willing to accept, I personally don't think it reflects well. Starmer's only obvious political belief is that he wants to win the election with as bigger majority as possible and he is unwilling to basically say anything at all about his personal beliefs and hope that enough of the public pick him on the basis that they are the default second choice and are offering to change more or less nothing.

[@trcyg17]

I have been really enjoying these chats for a while but especially during the election campaigning. Thank you all.

[@tarscase7653]

Ive been finding Freddie Haywords cyncicsm, from the lib-dems to predicting the implosion of an in-coming Labour govt quite draining.

[@petercassidy0628]

When you look back at labour over the last 14 years keir starmer has done remarkable job getting them into a postion labour could" win power on thursday.Trying to get the english voter to give labour a majority in 2019 ended in a disaster for labour lessons learned middle centre is the only way and i hope he wins on thursday he will make a good pm"but the hard work starts on friday morning .

[@WH-hi5ew]

Can the middle-centre as you put it deliver though in an era of increasing ideological divisions? Brexit, Reform etc is all about a substantial section of the UK electorate no longer happy with business as usual.

[@anglosaxonbreed]

All the labour woke journalists

[@jameskeener7251]

" . . . you won't be allowed on if you're so negative." Statesmanship.

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

People are concerned that Starmer could do anything, based on his actions so far.

[@JimRogers-oc2jd]

Tnis could be another La-Pen type result! So dont count the chickens befor the eggs attach!

[@TadgNokomis]

Starmer is whoever he needs to be in the moment, but doesn’t matter because his opposition imploded itself.

[@khar12d8]

I think the hard thing for Starmer will be persuading the country when the tough times come. He isn't a very good public speaker. He has a very high pitched voice. He just doesn't do that well in interviews. When the sh*t hits the fan, like it did with Blair, you need the ability to talk your way out of trouble and I don't think Starmer has that going for him. Blair could always talk himself out of a corner. So could Thatcher a lot of the time, too. This is why they both served a decade in power.

[@petercurry6222]

What's the difference between voting in the general election and the national lottery ❓ £1.50. And it probably won't be you.

[@creepycrawlything]

Andrew's current approach and narrative, flagged by the panel as "optimism", is not that of a journalist. Yes his narrative is peppered with factoids, which suggest a sustained journalistic approach. However an evident partisan aspect is emerging. Where this aspect sees him reducing the concerns of others, here about Starmer and Labour led by him, to parodies of what those so concerned are actually thinking and saying. He ends speaking about and across complex issues, with a sociable assurance not well enough serving a public's need to be informed to understand and to think through all that we grapple with as a society, and a participant in the global order. This something coming through in all I have heard him addressing in recent times.

[@disasterarea9341]

that he is a centrist and not an ideologue is a part of why many of us on the left do not like him! this country needs someone more radical and ideological if we're going to rebuild the country and halt the rise of reform

[@RSLtreecare]

We need to open our voting schedule. To make it more balanced. I will stay in the Greens.

[@johnbartley3563]

What a comb over lol

[@davidwhite8045]

It’s obvious that the UK hasn’t moved on from Covid, bye bye Mogg

[@Anduz001]

Starmer is basically John Major. Basically honourable, genuinely wants to help the country. But super boring, not charismatic and maybe not good at holding the party together. Not really someone people can get excited about. Is that important? I suppose time will tell.

[@WH-hi5ew]

From Labour point of view they tried Corbyn last time and it didn't work... so they've gone with safe and boring (for now).

[@kerrynewnham8946]

@@WH-hi5ewthe circumstances now are entirely the opposite of what Jeremy Corbyn faced. In 2019. Absurd to see this endless spin about how 2019 showed Jeremy Corbyn was a looser. Sure middle England and a few minorities detested him but he inspired many others who wouldnt usually vote and nearly toppled Teresa may.

[@WH-hi5ew]

@@kerrynewnham8946 Nearly toppled Teresa May? They were 162 seats behind Tories... and whereas the Tories gained 47 seats.. Labour in 2019 under Corbyn lost 59 seats. Granted, that was with a strong SNP + Brexit (which wasn't Corbyns strong suit).

[@user-ok1kw4rr3h]

I suspect that many solid Tory constituencies will elect a LD candidate, in these cases Labour being completely unacceptable (still). Surrey Heath may be an example, (Gove’s constituency for 20 years).

[@flamboyentpromotions3471]

Hold up Andrew says Starmer wants to rebuild the country by sticking to the Conservative spending limits. How?

[@garyh1572]

The Tories have offended me for 14 years.

[@CK-cz6ml]

You can put whatever you want in a manifesto when you don't have to deliver on it

[@keigreencap9192]

Who is this olive beauty, something about her posture is turning up my chakras 🥵.

[@goodluck-mx4qr]

Bottom line, whoever gets in it is always the same, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, so if you are not rich why bother as both parties serve big business, not the people that elect them. The only good thing about the change of Government is, sorry spend 30 minutes and can't think of any benefit whoever gets voted in.

[@lightweightben]

I agree about the wall of money. It will finally seem like there’s some stability, that policy isn’t going to change rapidly or projects suddenly cancelled. I’d invest as an overseas investor on that basis. Particularly in green manufacturing projects.

[@joex2004uk]

Is Freddie a closet Reform Ltd fanboy? He seems to enjoy dumping on Labour and LibDems whilst almost talking up Farage and reform.

[@jamesodonnell8290]

He's young (1999) so never saw a lot of the positive things that people older than that saw. The idea that the Tories are what made the country decline relies on the idea that things naturally get better over time, which just do not resonate with people whose first-hand awareness of the wider world exclusively consists of post-08 decline.

[@LONDONGUY100]

God forbid anyone should have any opinion outside the Labour/Libdem client (propagandist) echo chamber. This is just a load of statements of the bloody obvious. Who ever heard of a Government that didn't upset anyone? It is an easy deception when in opposition to pretend to be all things to all people. But to govern is much harder. To govern is to choose. To govern...is to decide. Labour will change none of the fundamentals that got us here....and they don't even pretend they will.

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Immigration is destroying European Civilisation.

[@FranzBieberkopf]

He's a Corbyn fanboy-he'd rather Sunak won to prove Corbyn right. A see you en tea of the highest order.

[@joex2004uk]

@@FranzBieberkopf he doesn’t strike me as particularly left wing in his views, to be honest.

[@davidculling7082]

Andrew the utterly deluded Marr.. living proof that we see no bad in those we agree with and utterly demonise those we don’t.

[@khar12d8]

I have voted Tory in the past and I will vote Lib Dem at the next election partly because of Ed Davey's campaign. Politics doesn't have to be miserable or aggressive all the time. Thatcher famously held a calf in the 1979 election, all a bit ridiculous but the Iron Lady did it.

[@Design_no]

Why not Reform? Don't you want some control in your life?

[@DACatface]

​@@Design_nothey are just a bunch of ex Tories and chancers led by another ex banker conman spouting easily digestible nonsense they think an uninformed person wants to hear. Beware of the people giving simple solutions to incredibly complex problems

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

Have you forgotten the spitting image scene with Roy Hattersley with the handbag?

[@kimgrant3879]

They should have done a spitting image election special.

[@adamthorntonillustration9281]

I love and appreciate Andrew's optimism. In fact, I'd say it's essential for us.

[@user-lp8tg4eb6r]

can we rename cgt please as 'inflation tax and on capital gains too if you're lucky'

[@andybyrne7106]

So no place for hod carriers just more bubble

[@indefatigable8193]

Lord bring back optimism… or if we’re going to do apathy as a people let it be equal opportunity. The demagoguery that leans right is what I can’t stand. Let it lean nowhere.

[@kristianhumphreys]

VOTE REFORM IF YOU WANT A BRITISH FUTURE🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@KevTheImpaler]

The more to the centre Labour and Conservative parties move, the more Lib-Dems are elected. It happened the last time when New Labour was in charge and a series of mostly centrist Conservative leaders were in charge of the opposition.

[@TimoDyer]

Lib dems as the opposition to a labour government.. Where labour has to pick up their best ideas. Have to see this happen! Dreaming but it's in the fringes of possible.

[@glyngreen538]

@@TimoDyerit’s credibly possible it happen this once with a fair bit of tactical voting. More likely Tories are opposition but I’d guess perhaps ~20% chance they do so badly Lib Dems form the opposition instead.

[@jackduncan5311]

That pressure from the Left concerns me. I don't want the Starmer government to be pulled further left. That's what lost Labour support in the first place

[@disasterarea9341]

bit odd then that labour are polling around about where labour were in 2017. labour being more left wing doesnt lose them votes, the only difference is the tories have collapsed between then and now.

[@Stevesolo1950]

Vote Reform!

[@1sostatic]

We need wise management, a statesmanlike leader with gravitas, internationally adept as well as domestically pro-business .. not another clown. Ed Davey has no plan for UK PLC .... that's enough for me to run away from Mr Bungie Jump .

[@EvanEvans9]

Nigel, sort them out!

[@sandyellis28]

I feel very hopeful about the new Lab candidates likely to be elected, it can be a truly representative parliament & better skilled at policy making. Plus seems record number of women too, according to Harriet Harman, which could change the dynamic. Would have been good to have fuller discussions on tax & spend but it is impossible with the Tories - they’re like a bunch of toddlers & flibber-flobber… is probably quite appropriate pitch for them! They lie, gaslight, project & make things up constantly and you can’t be too adult around toddlers! Reeves seems like she’ll have a few tricks up her sleeves to find funds. Two things important & hope they’ll do to restore faith 1) Standards. Hope they crack down on conduct: behaviour, donations, finance, conflicts of interest, contracts, influences/lobbies, betting, advertising etc., & with real teeth for all MPs. 2) Communicate. They need to take the country with them on change so engage, involve, explain, report back to people on progress & challenges regularly. Also Govts should really have an end of term report on their manifesto like a sort of corporate annual report for the public on how far they delivered on their pledges & programme.

[@cliffrightmove1527]

Did not realise this is a give away Britain,DEBT FOR STUDENTS LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA SITE 🥵

[@richardelson3261]

Andrew Marr’s projection is hilarious.

[@Hariharan24982]

Vote for Tories, vote for Rishi Sunak.

[@barneyjames1126]

I see Andrew. I click,

[@jamesanthony9316]

I'd like to share Andrew's optimism but 100+ seat majority is looking less likely the longer this campaign has gone on. There appear to be no enthusiasm for Labour on the streets. I think they'll win but not the landlisde that's predicted, apathy is rampant.

[@shaun906]

labour aren't talking about a landslide, the press are obsessed with it, I'm suspicious its on purpose to disenfranchise the electorate?

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

That’s because the right wing media are so good at tellling lies Added to which Boris Johnson’s populist party has destroyed the publics faith in politics

[@jeremymanson1781]

Even so all the data points to a very large majority. And mrp polling has never been more than 2 or 3 percentage points out.

[@jamesanthony9316]

@@jeremymanson1781 I agree and I don't disbelieve the polls it is just hard to see it given the lack of positive support for Labour. I guess it will come down to the turnout but I've not spoken to anyone who is hyped for Starmer.

[@jeremymanson1781]

@@jamesanthony9316 I agree it would be odd to be 'hyped' for Starmer. And Starmer is intentionally putting himself forward as truly unexciting so as not to frighten the small 'c' conservatives he is forced to win over in order to receive a majority of seats under the painfully corrupt FPTP system. A system that no modern democracy uses.

[@geoffreynhill2833]

Anything's better than that shower!

[@mackieincsouthsea]

Hey don't knock Freddies negativity, I'm right with him! 😅 (whilst still being far less politically astute)

[@FlamingDragon-fz1bp]

Vote conservative or labour will destroy what is left of the United Kingdom

[@NeverbrainwashedUk]

Labour, more of the same and only more worse..

[@Steve-fk1jg]

Don't forget more immigrants as well.

[@user-iu4dq6wm1t]

I don't understand how you could say Starmer is principled after he U-turned on so many commitments he made to get elected leader and has used such thinly veiled pretences to purge the party of those who ideologically disagree with him and also parachuted in loyalist candidates into seats even when other candidates fit the role better and had community support in their constituencies.

[@jayedwards7520]

To say nothing of his underhandedness toward Corbyn during his time in Corbyn's shadow cabinet.

[@user-iu4dq6wm1t]

@@jayedwards7520 Yes the list could be so much longer. To be honest I think the people at The New Statesmen are just too close to politics and too cushy to really understand the average persons view of things. This is just the most recent out of touch comment they’ve made. Still useful to listen to them from time to time but it’s frustrating hearing these blunders.

[@lp11823]

I agree. When people realise Labour now has nothing to offer ordinary people, Starmer will be more unpopular than Sunak. And farage will be laughing.

[@lesleylamy]

@@lp11823rubbish, he will be great you can’t vote for sunac and farage both tories under a different name, not reliable no respect for anybody but themselves Labour are the only ones that speak for the people of this great country the others are in it for themselves.

[@mickyday2008]

I used to like Andrew Marr.

[@simonsargent9514]

H e is beaming isn't he, Marr the liberal leftie.

[@danielbliss1988]

I want to see as many LibDem MPs as possible. In a weird way that would represent the electorate because Starmer has moved too far to the right, and as Andrew Marr puts it, failed to do the storytelling about policy, to perform that representation effectively without some significant repositioning once in office. The fundamental problem is that Starmer has too limited a vision of what's possible given a certain set of conditions. A positive influence on him in this regard will help. So will the professional diversity that appears to be emerging with the new parliamentary intake,

[@stephfoxwell4620]

The lost decade is about tp enter year 18.

[@richierich7609]

Starmer has been defined by flip-flops and factional infighting. "Hey remember that manifesto I told you was wonderful in 2019? Yeah, it's crap. But this new manifesto today is really great, unlike the one I misrepresented then." He's already promising to stick to Tory spending limits - the outer limits of his ambition are just more Tory austerity. And he HATES socialists - he's purged them in a way Stalin would recognize. Particularly uppity black women; he really hates them. Why would he change his stripes after election? Instead of having party apparatus to go after socialists, he'll have the full resources of government. Mr. Marr wants Starmer to take his calls, obviously. I don't have to be as optimistic as he does.

[@Design_no]

"Labour government is essential" is one of the funniest things I've read in this campaign. The Torries started the wrecking of Britain. Starmer will complete the process. You people are deluded.

[@iainmackenzieUK]

Given the recent judicial changes in the USA they are likely to need a friend: a 'level headed' Britain to be a grown-up in the room.

[@lheureexquise140]

Illusions of grandeur 🤣

[@iainmackenzieUK]

@@lheureexquise140 it got me this far

[@segapc1994]

Very optimistic... but it's just going to be more of the same... managed decline

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Both ConLab support the open borders Globalisation project and have no solutions.

[@jeremymanson1781]

An ageing population does make it much harder to boost an economy. The Japanese have tried and failed for decades.

[@raj.yadav007]

More skilled legal immigration is the way to go

[@jamesbyrne9312]

I agree, the lib dem approach is not serious, we have serious issues to solve

[@geegnosis8888]

Saaaaa