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Brexit Shadow Secretary Starmer 'Seriously Considering' Running for Labour Leadership

© AP Photo / Kirsty O'ConnorKeir Starmer, Britain's main opposition Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, in central London, Tuesday Aug. 27, 2019
Keir Starmer, Britain's main opposition Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, in central London, Tuesday Aug. 27, 2019 - Sputnik International
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UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has announced that he would not lead his party into another election. Corbyn has been reportedly criticized for his contradictory attitude to Brexit, as well as failing to suitably deal with allegations of anti-Semitism within the party.

Corbyn will, however, remain in his post until the Labour Party elects a new leader. Angela Rayner, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Keir Starmer are reportedly potential candidates to become the new Labour leader.

In an interview with The Guardian, shadow Brexit secretary Starmer said he was “seriously considering” running to succeed Corbyn.

"There’s no hiding from it. It is a devastating result, but it’s important not to oversteer. The case for a bold and radical Labour government is as strong now as it was last Thursday. We need to anchor ourselves in that [...] I want trust to be restored in the Labour party as a progressive force for good: and that means we have to win. But there’s no victory without values”, Starmer said, cited by The Guardian.

Starmer also suggested that he could have done a better job than Corbyn in addressing one of the primary campaign issues: Brexit. “I don’t think we tackled the ‘get Brexit done’ slogan strongly enough [...] We should have taken it down. Frankly, I’d have liked to opportunity to have done it”, Starmer said, cited by the media outlet.

The shadow Brexit secretary also slammed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a leader without "moral compass".

“My fear is that they have a majority now to do pretty much as they like. They have a leader who I don’t think has any moral compass, I don’t think there’s anywhere he won’t go to stay in power. I think they have a leader who has made all sorts of promises he’s never going to be able to keep, and he will distract from his own failures by attacking those that are already the most vulnerable in our society", Starmer said, cited by The Guardian.

Starmer's earlier attitude toward Brexit came under criticism. Nevertheless, the prominent Labour member told The Guardian that the debate "changes" and the discussion should be turned to detailing a better divorce deal for the United Kingdom.

“The Brexit debate changes. We will leave in January and the argument will have to be about the type of deal that we have with Europe: and we will argue, as we argued before, for a deal that protects our economy, protects our jobs, and working standards, the environment and consumers. That is really important”, Starmer stressed, cited by the UK-based newspaper.

Starmer also criticized the recent Labour election campaign, blaming “factionalism” for a failure to tackle a long-lasting "antisemitism" issue. “We didn’t deal with antisemitism and that became a question of values and a question of competence [...] Instead of being seen as a moral issue, where you were judging what people had said, the question became ‘what side are you on?’ It got tangled up. Frankly there’s been too much factionalism”, the UK lawmaker said, cited by The Guardian.

Starmer outlined his vision of why he could run for Labour leader.

"... If I am in this race, it will be because of the ideas I want to put forward, and my determination that the Labour party can be a force for good and can bring about radical change. To get from where we are to where we need to be in four and a half years is a mountain to climb", Starmer said, cited by The Guardian.

Last week, the Conservative Party scored a historic victory in the general election, claiming their largest majority since the days of Margaret Thatcher in the House of Commons. A number of constituencies in northern England and the Midlands voted for the Conservative Party for the first time in decades, as the Tories smashed what many have previously called Labour’s "red wall".

Flags are arranged at the EU headquarters as Britain and the EU launch Brexit talks in Brussels, June 19, 2017 - Sputnik International
How Soon Will Brexit Translate Into Reality?
Labour was defeated in a number of so-called heartland seats, such as Dudley North, Bassetlaw and Great Grimsby, that all recorded major swings from Labour to the Tories. Johnson was able to galvanize many areas of England behind a message of getting Brexit done, which handed the Labour Party its worst election day result since 1935.

During his acceptance speech after learning of the final polling results, Corbyn made strong statements against both the media coverage surrounding the election, as well as warning voters that there are still major issues to sort out in the United Kingdom once Brexit has been completed. Corbyn also appeared to insinuate that Labour lost the election due to the party’s Brexit policy, which changed multiple times since the 2016 referendum.

Corbyn announced that he would stand down as head of the Labour Party, once a new candidate is selected. Corbyn was elected as Labour leader in 2015, and has suffered two general election defeats.

After months of frustration as a prime minister of a minority government, Johnson will now have the backing of 365 Conservative members of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. The majority will allow the prime minister to proceed with a plan to withdraw the UK from the European Union by 31 January.

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