UK: Labour looks to local polls as dress rehearsal for general election

If a telltale sign of a politician’s confidence is how willingly they expose themselves to direct media scrutiny, then the likely narrative of May’s local elections was on full view on Thursday in Dudley.

While Rishi Sunak had followed his Conservative launch speech last Friday with the strictly controlled and limited format of a brief TV clip, Keir Starmer answered journalists’ questions for about 40 minutes, covering everything from council spending to Angela Rayner’s tax affairs.

It was a fluent and at times bullish performance, notably in the way he offered full-throated support for Rayner, his deputy, and his one-word answer of “yes” when asked whether Labour would fully implement their workers’ rights agenda.

In part, this is the inevitable process of a leader growing into the job. But, of course, it does also feel easier when your party is polling about 20 points ahead of your main opponents.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/28/labour-may-local-elections-keir-starmer