Keir Starmer: ‘There’s undoubtably a vaccine bounce for the government’

The Labour leader said the government’s vaccine roll out has caused a Conservative bounce in the polls ahead of the May regional elections

With the May elections on the horizon, Labour leader Keir Starmer will face the greatest test of his leadership yet. 

The regional elections, including a snap by-election in Hartlepool, will see if Labour’s attempts to rebrand under “A New Leadership” with Starmer have been successful. 

Speaking to Sky News’ political editor, Beth Rigby, he discussed the “vaccine bounce,” the government’s management of the pandemic, misogyny, and Scotland.

“There was undoubted incompetence and slowness to act last year,” said Starmer. 

“Whether it was going into the lockdowns and whether it’s getting test and trace and isolate working, whether it was in the initial stages and getting protective equipment to the front line that was real incompetence.

“Tragically we had a second wave when there were more deaths than the first wave.”

However, he commended the government’s vaccine roll out, and suggested it is likely give the Conservatives a boost in the local elections. 

“We’re in the vaccine roll out, it’s going well - and that a good thing, and we’re completely supportive of that,” he said. 

“If it rolls out quicker and more efficiently than anywhere else that is a good thing.” 

However, he highlighted that it does pose a challenge for Labour in the polls. 

“But does it lead to a vaccine bounce in the polls? I think it does - it may not be the only reason, but it’s very significant.”

On Scotland, which was once a Labour stronghold, he conceded that gaining ground on the SNP in the country would be a challenge. 

“We’ve got a mountain to climb in Scotland,” he said. 

Starmer also addressed the issue of misogyny, and violence against women and girls - which has been a hot topic this week in the aftermath of the killing of 33-year-old Sarah Everard. 

“I’m glad that yesterday there was a constructive tone in parliament - with all parties recognising that we must treat last week as a turning point,” said Starmer. 

However, he expressed concern about the prime minister’s track record.

“Many of my female colleagues point out to me in parliament this was a prime minister that, when they were going public with some of the things that have been said to them - the misogyny that they faced - he dismissed it as “humbug”, so I think he’s got some way to go on this,” said Starmer. 

But he added: “Yesterday was constructive, and if we are to do something about violence against women and girls we need everybody to pull together.”