Keir Starmer must get tough with militant unions causing misery for millions if he wants to be PM

Keir Starmer keeps saying Labour is now a government in waiting.

And why not with inflation in double figures, interest rates rising and the nation’s finances in a mess.

He is convinced the next election is in the bag.

But they shouldn’t take fantasy league opinion leads too seriously.

It’s going to be very hard to stay this far ahead for two long years until the next election.

The wave of strikes that will bring Britain to a standstill in the run up to Christmas could really hit Labour’s chances.

People’s patience is already wearing thin, but they will be furious if another wave of strikes causes chaos in the run-up to Christmas.

Some voters might blame the government for the Winter of Discontent, but others will worry Labour is still in hock to hard left union leaders.

The rail unions have already brought the transport network to a standstill countless times this year.

What a way to repay hard-pressed taxpayers who spent £16 billion mothballing the network and saving rail workers’ jobs during the pandemic.

Of course the government needs to get a grip, but Labour should support new laws to prevent the chaos too.

Keir needs to stand up to the trade unions and rein in Labour MPs who support them.

Why can’t they stand up for workers in the private sector, not just the unions? What about shopworkers or people in bars or restaurants who will lose work and pay as a result of the strikes?

Britain is facing a de facto general strike – with vast swathes of the country being crippled by industrial action.

This is Keir’s chance to show his mettle and prove he is not prepared to kowtow to the unions.

In recent weeks we have seen Keir adopt the Tony Blair playbook of showing he is a regular guy who can be trusted in No10.

He has been photographed watching the footie, while his deputy Angela Rayner has stopped calling her opponents “scum” and has been out DJing at clubs.

But Keir needs to show whose side he’s on when it comes to the strikes as well as the football”

So far, Sir Keir has relied on the Government’s mistakes to go ahead in the polls.

But to win decisively, Labour must still earn the public’s trust by proving they are fit to run the country.

Oppositions need to grab the public’s attention with big, bold eye-catching announcements that show they have truly changed and can be trusted.

It’s why Labour big-hitter Peter Mandelson called on Keir to set out a positive vision.

He needs to spell out the difference Labour would make – not just rely on the Government’s blunders.

Twenty-five years ago, I worked on Tony Blair’s campaign.

He didn’t just rely on John Major and his government’s collapse.

He worked non-stop to dispel the public’s doubts and show he had changed his party.

He even changed the party’s name to ‘New Labour’.

That positive campaign resulted in record poll leads but there was still no room for any complacency.

Blair would have sacked anyone who dared claim Labour was a Government in waiting.

That’s the approach Keir needs: relentless, determined, uncompromising.

Instead, cautious Keir never seems to surprise anyone.

Even after all the stories about law-breaking in Downing Street and with a shambolic Government ripping itself apart, he was barely ahead of Boris.

Election results were lacklustre. They crashed to the worst by-election defeat in post-war history at Hartlepool.

Only after the mini-budget did Labour really begin to make progress. They held on to the Chester seat last week with a decent swing but it was nothing like the spectacular results Blair achieved when he was heading for victory.

Voters need to see how Labour will strengthen the economy, tackle crime, improve education, sort out the NHS and deal with the small boats bringing people across the Channel.

And Keir needs to dispel the fears so many people still have about a Labour government.

He tried to block Brexit and won the leadership by campaigning on a Left-wing ticket.

He says he’s changed his mind but the public is left wondering what he really believes.

We need to hear more from sensible moderates like Wes Streeting, Pat McFadden, Bridget Phillipson and Lisa Nandy.

Corbyn and the hard-left Labour MPs who backed him should be booted out for good.

Sir Keir boasts that he took the Whip off the crazy old commie.

But lots of people who voted Labour all their lives still remember he loyally supported Corbyn – even after the party had been poisoned by extremism and anti-Jewish racism.

It’s easy to distance himself from Corbyn when he is no longer leader but why could he not stand up to him when he was in charge?

Even without Corbyn, there are still dozens of hard-left Labour MPs in Parliament.

What would the leftie fringe demand to support a Labour government with a small majority and is Keir strong enough to stand up to them?

So unless he really gets a grip, drives out the hard-left for good, stands up to the unions and sets out a much more positive case, voters might still think twice before risking a punt on Labour.