Starmer has been crab-like and careful so far, but now faces a test of his agility

SIR Keir Starmer has many strengths, but earthy dynamism is not one of them.

- Anne Mcklvoy

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.