 |
| Mark Drakeford with Keir Starmer (Image: Daily Express) |
I have been rather critical of the Labour Party lately, in my view with good reason. For example, I was not a fan of the way leader Keir Starmer mishandled - and continues to do so - the fate of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn as a Labour MP. Apparently, Corbyn is to run for London Mayor which I don't think will happen if he knew it would impact Sadiq Khan's chances of being re-elected. You can't take Labour out of the man. I've also argued that Starmer should embrace closer ties between the UK and the European Union, just like, ironically, ardent 'leave' voting current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who announced Britain's re-involvement in a crucial European science research programme. And I won't get over the fact Starmer recently allowed Rosena Allin-Khan to return to the backbench. She's a terrific communicator and a future leader in my eyes - a big loss to the shadow cabinet.
Don't worry, my criticism of Labour sort of stops there. Though for many at the moment, what I've said the party in red is doing wrong they believe are doing right, and what I feel it's doing right, many feel is totally wrong. There is a strong sense of disdain towards the leaders of Wales and London right now. The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, and Khan, have been targets of intense abuse over their approaches to tackling reckless driving and vehicle exhaust pollution respectively. To be honest, I don't know what's more concerning, the fact that even their security is under threat, or that Starmer refuses to defend their authority (or at least not openly and proactively). In fact, in July 2023, he defended the London Mayor and then criticised the same policy less than six weeks later.
For those unaware of the policies in question: the Welsh Government has introduced 20mph driving measures on residential roads across Wales, while Khan pushed forward his ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone) plans, which imposes additional daily charges to owners of vehicles of a certain age or fuel type. Now, neither of these changes are out of the ordinary as you see them enforced in major European and Far Eastern cities, as part of global plans to reduce emissions and a net-zero future, tackling climate change.
No matter the obvious benefits, it hasn't stopped the rather baseless criticisms of these new measures. Labour is now, apparently, 'anti-motorist', and some keyboard warriors are also convinced that the changes will be too costly, or won't make any difference to reducing emissions. Actually, scrap that, 'we should scrap all net-zero policies, full stop'. Naturally these words have been uttered by largely Conservative media commentators and opposition political figures in Wales and London. What they don't want to admit is that the Tories backed the Welsh Government's measures in 2020 and in the same year, then UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, asked Khan to, basically, hurry up and enforce ULEZ.
Are these policies extreme? Perhaps they are a step or two further than how I would have done things. I don't think every 'residential' road needs to have a 20mph speed limit, though, some roads needed this change years ago. And perhaps the implementation of ULEZ could have been more gradual, giving some drivers a little more time to change their vehicles - yet, you can argue they've had sufficient time to have their say and propose sensible alternative solutions. Khan could have also offered more generous financial packages. Is £2,000 enough to cover the cost of a vehicle's devaluation? Many of these cars and vans aren't sellable for a decent amount anymore, and people - quite justifiably - don't want to get rid of their perfectly functionable cars, especially for pittance.
But instead of providing constructive feedback, some, childishly, deface new road signs and damage expensive cameras - of course, the bill for fixing these will be paid by council taxpayers. When they calm down, they'll be able to open their eyes and see that these policies are long-term sustainable solutions to problems that should have been addressed a long time ago. We don't want anyone to die from being hit by a car going fast. We don't want any more dying for simply breathing air, like Ella Kissi-Debrah tragically faced in 2013.
These policies needn't define the legacy of Drakeford or Khan. Where they're doing well for pedestrians, we hope they are allowed to fully focus on genuinely focusing on improving unpredictable health services on their doorsteps, combating antisocial behaviour and increasing access to affordable housing; these are areas Wales and London are reportedly struggling to grapple with. Unfortunately, they are likely to struggle even further in future, with budgets looking set to be cut as a result of reduced investment from Westminster and beyond. This is something the UK-wide Labour Party ought to be exposing, in that the Tories are hellbent on doing little to boost funding in line with high inflation and productivity demand. Starmer may see his silence, or lack of commitment, as being professional, pragmatic and statesmanlike, but shouldn't his focus be on balancing how he wants to come across with loyalty, dedication and support for those in his Party who have the ability to win elections?
The fact that Labour has excellent electoral track records in these two parts of the UK should be seen as, moving forward, a significant benchmark for Labour in parts of England it 'lost' in 2019, as well as Scotland. It's difficult to rely on the Tories 'doing badly' in the polls when that doesn't guarantee election success when that time comes. Sunak knows he has enough time to get his campaign in a way he wants it, and in the way to effectively reach out to disengaged voters. Like every Conservative leader before him, he knows how to defend the indefensible - they've done it time and time again. Unlike that scenario, ULEZ and 20mph zones are actually defendable. However, Starmer being distant from Wales and London, at this crucial stage, could prove costly, and at the worst time.
 |
| Starmer with Sadiq Khan (Image: BBC News) |
Comments
Post a Comment