Sir Keir Starmer has been , and while it’s unlikely he ever underestimated the difficulty of the job, it seems safe to say he’ll be very much aware of the realities by now. Yes, there are some benefits (no traffic, a country pile, excellent seats at the football), but broadly, it’s a thankless role. Every move watched, every foible judged, every decision scrutinised.
which has dropped with all the speed and flamboyance of , is testament to this. He could probably do with a break. It’s August, and recess, after all.
Rumours had it that he was planning a holiday this very week. But then he was “slammed” for taking a jaunt as Britain burned. So No 10 denied that he was heading away at all.
For now. If he wants to get far away from SW1 to escape the glare of his office, he’s now finding out that for a prime minister, the very act of going on holiday is as fraught with danger as any aspect of foreign policy. First, he and his team need to consider a few key questions.
.. A decent place to start.
No doubt ’s response would be “er, yes”. The teenage Starmer children, once they’ve put to one side the prospect of going on a heavily choreographed UK trip with so many police officers that sneaking off to buy a vape or snog a local is absolutely out of the question, are probably keen too. Staff in Number 10 likely also wouldn’t mind a Starmer-free zone for a bit.
But Sir Keir will be having second thoughts. The optics, you see, are far from ideal. Historians never .