, Columnist
Boris Johnson's Biggest Rival Can't Land a Blow
If Labour does badly in this week’s elections, people will ask whether moderate Keir Starmer really is a better electoral bet than Jeremy Corbyn.
Shadow boxing.
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Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, was more than a breath of fresh air when he took over from Jeremy Corbyn after the 2019 general election. Boris Johnson’s Tories had just trounced the hard-left Corbyn’s party, seizing seats in former Labour strongholds in northern England — so something had to change.
Thursday’s local, regional and national elections will be the first indication of how far Starmer still has to travel if he wants to replace Boris Johnson. The omens don’t look good.