Labour must unite or face generation out of power, warns Starmer
2 min read
Labour must end its internal divisions or it faces being locked out of power for a generation, according to Keir Starmer.
The leadership hopeful warned the party faces its longest period out of office unless it stops moping around “arguing with each other”.
And he told The Observer instead they should be focusing their attacks on Boris Johnson, who he labelled “a dangerous man” who was “without principles”.
Mr Starmer said: “My message to our members is essentially that they’ve got a choice – we as a party can mope around, head in hands, arguing with each other, pointing fingers about who’s to blame for this, that and the other.
“Or we could decide the next four years of our history is for us – we can pull together and shape what happens next.”
He added: “Everybody’s trying to find the reason we lost the election we just had, but we’ve lost four in a row, and we face another few years of this.
“If we lose the next one, it’s a generation that will have not had the protection and benefit of a Labour government.”
He was speaking ahead of ballots being sent out to Labour members in the final stage of the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Starmer is the clear frontrunner ahead of Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, and is expected to be crowned leader at a special conference on Saturday 4 April.
The former director of public prosecutions said if he does win then his priority will be on exposing the Prime Minister and his administration.
He said: “I think that we need to be absolutely clear about how dangerous he is and how ruthless he is, and we have to be exposing him relentlessly.
“I’m not sure we did that as well as we should have done. That’s what members now need to see from the leadership contenders.
“Are you focused on Boris Johnson and going out to attack him, rather than what your position is on various internal disagreements?”
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