Britain | Bagehot

Sir Keir Starmer is sailing the Labour Party in the right direction

Despite mutinous left-wingers’ attempts to knock him off course

THE WEATHER in Brighton was decidedly blustery as the Labour Party gathered for its annual conference between September 25th and 29th. The handful of hardy souls who braved the sea were repeatedly flattened by the waves. But the wind turbines off the coast also whirled furiously, providing an energy-starved country with much-needed power. The mood inside the conference centre matched the squalls outside.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “A blustery week”

China's new reality

From the October 2nd 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Stock price information displayed on a board at the London Stock Exchange.

Britain’s brokers are diversifying and becoming less British

London’s depleted stockmarket is forcing them to change

Sculpture by Charles Jencks of DNA double helix Cambridge University.

What a buzzy startup reveals about Britain’s biotech sector

Lots of clever scientists, not enough business nous


Illustration of Kier Starmer facing away next to the stripes of the Union Jack and the stars of the EU flag

Britain’s government lacks a clear Europe policy

It should be more ambitious over getting closer to the EU


The Rachel Reeves theory of growth

The chancellor says it’s her number-one priority. We ask her what that means for Britain