"Starmer has always chosen the most brutal possible path when a minister or aide's standards fall short. The Labour leader set himself up as the polar opposite of his then Tory opponent Boris Johnson, who defended Priti Patel despite a conclusive bullying inquiry, or Robert Jenrick's links with property developers and who eventually came a cropper over his defence of Chris Pincher, after an alleged groping incident."
"Within his first few months as leader, Starmer brushed aside any early efforts towards party unity: he fired his leadership rival Rebecca Long-Bailey for tweets endorsing a controversial interview with Maxine Peake and later removed the whip from Jeremy Corbyn after the EHRC's investigation into antisemitism. But Starmer has been just as harsh with his allies; the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, was forced to resign despite her having disclosed a fraud conviction to him many years earlier."
Keir Starmer has a hard-won reputation for ruthlessness in removing ministers who embarrass the government. The future of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner poses a difficult test because Starmer historically opts to cut loose those whose standards fall short. Starmer publicly praised Rayner at prime minister's questions and expressed sympathy for family circumstances linked to the stamp duty error. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey refused to call for her resignation. Starmer previously dismissed Rebecca Long-Bailey, removed the whip from Jeremy Corbyn, and forced resignations or departures of allies including Louise Haigh, Tulip Siddiq and Rushanara Ali over misconduct or conflicts.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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