Starmer’s Churchill tribute act showed the passion Labour MPs have called for

The prime minister’s decision to base almost his entire political survival strategy on facing down Nigel Farage is high risk, says Simon Walters, but it is a fight that he finally looks willing to have

Few people have ever compared Keir Starmer to Winston Churchill.

Obviously, for all the challenges he faces, no finest hour of Starmer could ever come close to that of Second World War statesman Churchill.

But his speech at the Labour Party conference was one of the most remarkable he has delivered. Time and again, there were distinct echoes of the rhetoric, if not the growly gravitas or charisma, of Churchill. Labour MPs queued up beforehand demanding that Starmer, who often sounds about as exciting as an actuary at a Milton Keynes accountants’ seminar, display some passion.

Keir Starmer adopted an uncharacteristically Churchillian and warlike rhetoric in his speech (Getty/PA)

To everyone’s surprise, for once in his life, he did just that, seemingly galvanised into action by the looming threat of being dumped out of No 10 at the next election by Nigel Farage.

Most striking of all was Starmer’s language. He shocked many in the run-up to his speech by openly calling Farage a “racist”. Wary of demonising the millions of voters who support Farage, Starmer’s cabinet colleagues have been conspicuous in not repeating Starmer’s “racist” jibe at Farage. Far from being cowed, Starmer himself went even further in his speech with uncharacteristic warlike rhetoric.

He talked of “going into battle” with Farage, vowing that he would never “surrender the flag” to Reform. There were so many union flags and flags of St George waved by ministers and delegates in the conference hall, obeying a diktat from Labour aides, it looked like a VE Day celebration.

It seems only yesterday that senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry thought it was OK for Labour to publicly mock a white van man who displayed the red-and-white flag of St George. For the prime minister’s audience at the Labour conference, it was an obligatory fashion accessory.

Starmer was seemingly galvanised into action by the looming threat of being chucked out of No 10 at the next election by Nigel Farage (PA)

In a word map of Starmer’s speech, the words “flag” and “patriotism” would scream out from the centre. He made an apparent reference to far-right leader Tommy Robinson and his wild backers, stating that while it was perfectly reasonable to call for immigration controls, “if you throw bricks and smash up property, that is thuggery”.

It got one of his biggest cheers from delegates. Starmer tried to turn the tables on Farage, painting him as the anti-patriot, provocatively accusing him of inflaming social strife by “stirring the pot of division” to serve his own cynical purposes.

He went on: “When push comes to shove, they want Britain to fail,” he said. That is as close as I can recall a British prime minister charging the leader of a major rival political party with treachery.

Starmer’s decision to base almost his entire political survival strategy on Farage is high risk. Listening to his speech, it was hard to believe he had devoted most of it to someone who leads a party comprising a mere five MPs.

It is too early to say if the prime minister’s gamble will be enough to stop Farage winning power. But Starmer’s Churchill tribute act should be enough to keep his Labour enemies at bay – for now.