NEW PM Keir Starmer yesterday set out his case for governing Britain with all the skills of the chief prosecutor he once used to be.
In an assured first press conference after taking office, he promised voters a fresh approach to public service free from the in-fighting of the Tory years.
It was refreshing to hear the new PM pledge to give us “raw honesty” in addressing the many problems facing our nation. We have been crying out for some of that for years.
He dismissed tribal politics and pledged to listen, saying there is no monopoly on good ideas.
But Sir Keir also reminded his ministers at their first Cabinet meeting that his Government will be judged on actions, not on words. He is spot on there.
The true test will be how Labour tackle some of our most acute issues.
On prisons, for example, Sir Keir was right to call out the monumental failures of the last 14 years of Tory rule which mean we have to let lags out of overcrowded jails before we can put any more in.
And we support his view that more potential offenders should be steered away from crime before they find themselves in court.
But rehabilitation alone won’t solve a problem of this scale. We need more jails urgently to accommodate the country’s growing population.
On migration, the PM confirmed the Rwanda plan is dead and buried.
He said it was never a proper deterrent and there is no doubt it was ruinously expensive. But will his own plan to smash the gangs be any more effective?
And on the NHS, Sir Keir and his new Health Secretary Wes Streeting both recognise the service is on its knees.
Yet fixing it must mean reforms that reduce waste so more money can be injected into the front line.
Not throwing good money after bad.
Sir Keir gave the confident, analytical performance of a PM determined to be across every detail. Fixing these problems will take time. We hope he makes progress as rapidly as possible.
Because he will soon find out that governing a country is not the same as prosecuting a court case.
WHAT a game. What a drama. What a result!
Gareth Southgate’s battling England team had the whole nation on edge yet again against Switzerland.
But the cool heads of brilliant Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Pickford and Bukayo Saka saw us through a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Every England player was a hero.
Now bring on the semi!
