United Kingdom: Keir Starmer closes Labor Congress with uncompromising speech
Labor leader Keir Starmer, during his speech during the party's virtual convention, in Doncaster, September 22, 2020. Stefan Rousseau / Pool via REUTERS
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
This unprecedented Labor congress, essentially virtual, has had its impact reduced by the conditions imposed by the health crisis.
By way of closing, this Tuesday, Keir Starmer wanted to motivate his troops after their worst defeat since the 1930s, last December, and severely criticized the incompetence of the government of Boris Johnson.
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With our correspondent in London,
Muriel Delcroix
A new leader for a new start.
Keir Starmer
tried to inject a dose of optimism into his party's ability to recover from
the controversial years under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn
.
In a difficult exercise, as he delivered
his speech addressing an empty room in the northern town of Doncaster
, Keir Starmer was uncompromising.
And that, first of all, vis-à-vis his own party which "
deserved its defeat
"
in the elections of last December
, because it would have taken the support of its traditional electorate for granted, in particular in the historic bastions of the North.
"
We understood the message and we ask you to give Labor a chance
", pleaded the leader who put forward values such as family and homeland.
He also vowed to bring his party back to power after more than ten years of opposition.
But Keir Starmer also attacked Boris Johnson's government violently, posing as a responsible and competent leader in the face of
a rough Prime Minister
, unable to keep
control of the situation since the start of the pandemic
.
This tactic has so far been successful, as Labor has caught up with the Conservatives in voting intentions and are neck and neck at 40%.
However, in the midst of a global crisis and when the next election is not scheduled before 2024, the main challenge will be above all to succeed in being heard.
► Also to listen
: Portrait of Keir Starmer, the new leader of the British Labor Party
We're LIVE with @Keir_Starmer for his first keynote speech as Leader of the Labor Party.
Tune in https://t.co/DZ384a5TWL
The Labor Party (@UKLabour) September 22, 2020
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