My latest round of focus groups included voters in Bristol, Taunton, Redcar and Middlesbrough. Most had voted Labour at the general election – many for the first time – with others having switched from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats.
Whatever their voting backgrounds, many of our participants shared the view that Keir Starmer had performed well on the international stage. Some who had voted for him felt they finally had something to cheer about: “It’s really surprised me. I didn’t know he had that kind of statesmanlike approach. He’s done commendably well;” “He’s taken on a real leadership role, which I’ve not seen before. He was very careful and measured about everything, whereas I think he’s started to take a few more calculated risks;” “He seems stronger than he had before. He seemed to come alive.” Those who had backed other parties were also prepared to give the PM credit: “I didn’t rate him much, but in the last week or so he’s regained some credibility;” “He’s stepped up to the mark. He hasn’t redeemed himself fully, but a little bit.”
In particular, people praised the balance Starmer seemed to have struck between supporting Ukraine, rallying support in Europe, and maintaining a good relationship with President Trump (which even most left-leaning participants acknowledged was necessary if unpalatable): “I would probably have preferred him to tell Trump to jog on, but he’s not going to do that. That’s why he’s a politician and I’m not. He’s done well, supporting Ukraine but not attacking Trump for not supporting Ukraine;” “There’s only so much you can push back on. You’re only going to get so far with trying to butt heads or argue;” “You’ve got to maintain the dialogue and keep them onside because they’re the most powerful country in the world;” “If it was me, I’d have been like ‘listen here, you orange horrible man’, but he was able to be calm and eloquent, which is probably the mark of a good politician.”
Some were a bit more grudging, feeling that the bar for prime ministerial performance had been set so low by recent incumbents that people were now pleasantly surprised by basic political competence: “I’m glad it’s him and that the grown-ups were in the room rather than before. It would be scary if it was one of them;” “I don’t think it’s changed my view. He’s done what you would expect a UK prime minister to do. He’s stepped up.”
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