The ceremony was New Labour in style, taking the form of an “In Conversation With” between two men in suits and no ties in a smart London conference centre. It was as if Tony Blair was looking at a younger version of himself in a mirror.
Blair praised his reflection for having done an “amazing job” in bringing the Labour Party from the brink of extinction to the brink of government, and asked soft questions about whether Starmer agreed that technology was important.
Starmer repaid the compliment by imitating early-years Blair. He candidly admitted that “we’re having a row at the moment about tough choices”, turning the backlash against his refusal to lift the two-child benefit limit into a boast that “we have had to be really ruthless and tough”.
This story is from the July 19, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the July 19, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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