Don’t write Keir Starmer off yet – he is fighting back

The Labour leader is under pressure but John Rentoul detects signs he is serious about clawing back lost ground

Keir Starmer is prepared to take his battle to the Tories in the pages of the ‘Daily Mail’ (Reuters TV)

Keir Starmer’s leadership is about to enter a dangerous phase. With the expected loss of Batley and Spen in the by-election on Thursday, the chorus of doom mongers – those who want him to fail and those who fear he will – will grow. As ever, though, there is no obvious alternative leader who could do a better job. And now there are signs of the Starmer fightback.

The least important thing is that Labour’s drift in the national opinion polls has bottomed out. The vaccine boost still sustains Boris Johnson and the Conservatives, but its effects show signs of weakening. That doesn’t mean Labour will advance, but it suggests that doing so might be easier.

Starmer appears to have been both ruthless and tactful in rebuilding his team. Jenny Chapman, previously his political secretary, has been moved to the front bench in the House of Lords, where she will take on David Frost, the Brexit minister. Morgan McSweeney, who was Starmer’s chief of staff, has moved to a general election planning role; and Ben Nunn, the communications director, has left to “do something different”.