Labour could benefit from Reform’s association with an unpopular US president – but only if it learns to connect again with voters
It has never been worse for Labour, at least according to the polls. Some now place it as the fourth party of British politics. The impending local elections in May mean there’s more pain to come. But there is an international example that could provide some encouragement and hope for Keir Starmer and Labour.
Around this time last year, Australia’s Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was fighting a federal election campaign. He faced a deeply uncertain future. His first term in office was marked by exceeding caution and delivered few notable achievements. His signature reform, a referendum to introduce a “voice to parliament” for Indigenous Australians (an advisory body), was crushingly defeated. His government struggled to convince voters it was doing enough to ease cost of living pressures.
Tim Soutphommasane is a professor in political theory and chief diversity officer at the University of Oxford, and was Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner