Why Keir Starmer is right to emulate Margaret Thatcher rather than Blair

Faced with a country in the doldrums and riven with trade union unrest, Keir Starmer could soon inherit a prime minister’s in-tray that looks similar to 1979 rather than 1997, says Andrew Grice. Like Britain’s first female PM, the Labour leader will need a serious – and memorable – three-point plan

‘Where there is division…’: Margaret Thatcher gives her first speech in Downing Street after her 1979 general election win (PA)

Labour has a plan for the general election. We saw more of it this week as Keir Starmer redoubled his efforts to win over Tory voters, a lot of whom still hover in the “don’t know” column.

The Labour leader grabbed a rare positive Daily Mail front page yesterday, with a long-term commitment to the UK’s nuclear deterrent, after Wes Streeting promised NHS reform in The Sun.

Although YouGov warns that Labour’s stance on Gaza and U-turn on green investment risk alienating progressive voters, Team Starmer is unrepentant.