Decent or disastrous? Starmer’s judgment and leadership divide opinion | Letters

2026-02-08 - 17:05

Readers respond to a piece by Polly Toynbee in which she says she cannot understand the reason for this level of public dislike Polly Toynbee (It’s tragic that a decent PM will be brought down by Mandelson’s sleaze – but it’s a matter of when, not if, 6 February) says she cannot “understand the reason for this level of public dislike for a good and serious man”. Keir Starmer’s failure of judgment over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US is just the last straw. Starmer’s accumulating failures have resulted from his complete lack of vision; there has been no inspiring “this is the kind of society we are going to create”. He has been leading the nation into a strategic vacuum. When the horses do not know which way to face, they all pull in different directions. No wonder that the carriage does not progress. Continue reading...