I have to say I do find it interesting how people can spend so much time focusing upon what his Dad did and how this feeds into Starmer’s ability to relate to those struggling, rather than what Starmer will actually do when in power.
Relatability or awareness of a situation counts for nothing if there’s no desire to actually do anything about it. Starmer’s constant banging on about his working class background is nothing more than a political con trick, a diversion, hence the reason why he hams it up about his Dad working in a factory. It’s simply playing the class card for political gain.
Labour have signed up to a fiscal framework more restrictive than the one currently in place, and monetary policy is of course independent. The tax rises they’re planning are essentially a rounding error in terms of the fiscal projections. The VAT increase on schools could in fact raise nothing at all. Meanwhile the planned cuts to non-protected departmental spending are simply being ignored, and when pressed on this Starmer disingenuously rules out a return to austerity, even though that’s what their plans imply.
Any difficult questions on this issue or indeed anything relating to how they will differ from the Conservatives is met with the usual nonsense and lies about his Dad working in a factory. It’s a simple trick but a lot of people are keen to fall for it.