In Aesop's fables, he is the wily and purposeful tortoise, not the fun and speedy hare. His temperament will not change - politicians rarely do- but over the coming weeks there will be new tests for the man who would be prime minister.
One of the very few assets a bedraggled (literally yesterday) prime minister has at his disposal is the shock effect of calling an election at short notice.
Labour has seen this coming-bumping into a key member of Starmer's team in Washington DC a month ago, I was surprised to find him edgily on alert and under instructions to have his phone on loud, day and night.
That turned out to be a wise precaution. Starmer was well prepared for the starting gun-a coherent instant statement on his desire to "stop the chaos" and steady delivery, flanked by two Union flags, one extra for the emergency situation that a modern Labour leader should get caught without a flag to hand.
But the campaign will be fire and fury, not just a repetitious run of "enough is enough" Labour talking points. One thing that a leader will need as the fight intensifies is a sense of pace and resilience, as well as diligence.
Denne historien er fra May 23, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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Denne historien er fra May 23, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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