Where the buck stops
As the UK Labour government limps towards its first anniversary in power Sir Keir Starmer must be thankful that this year the date falls on a Friday. Friday is conventionally a quiet day in the House of Commons, with MPs returning to their constituencies for the weekend. With the government facing a significant backbench rebellion later today (Tuesday) on its controversial plans to cut disability benefit payments, Friday probably can't come soon enough for the beleaguered Prime Minister. But he only has himself to blame. Christian May, editor-in-chief of City AM, in his editorial this morning posed the question many of us have been mulling for some time, "why can't Keir Starmer lead?" After so many false starts and U-turns it's a fair question. While fingers point at his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, Starmer is First Lord of the Treasury and, lest he should forget, it's helpfully engraved on the brass letterbox in the front door of his official residence, Number ...