Public service is back – the Tory right and Reform should get with the picture

Back in July last year – a time that admittedly feels like eons ago politically – Sir Keir Starmer laid out his plans by promising the country a “Government of service”.

Now, yes, I know what you’re thinking. Amid the mishmash of missions, the plentitude of priorities, and now the go-go gadget uber-focus on Growth, this foundational yet critical message has been slightly lost in all the noise.

That has to be expected – somber principles like integrity, honesty, and old-fashioned public service, are some of those things that are really only conspicuous by their absence. So whereas the previous procession of Tory Governments was notable in that regard, SIr Keir Starmer’s Government has swanned on by fairly quietly.

But let’s check in – what does the termcard say about Starmer’s performance?

First of all, let’s check in on sleaze. The Lord Alli so-called scandal, which amounted essentially to a long-time Labour peer supporting Sir Keir Starmer with seed-funding for a role as Prime Minister of the world’s sixth-largest economy, was blown up by a Tory party and right wing press eager to get their claws in at the first possible opportunity offered.

Anybody with a semi-functional brain could tell it was a nothing-burger, but Starmer duly repaid £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality, and Lord Alli was found to have made no breaches of the rules.

Second of all, let’s check in on the rest of the Labour front bench. While the recent Tulip Siddiq resignation row was admittedly poorly communicated and dragged out well past her political sell-by-date, Siddiq can be forgiven a slight blind spot when it comes to her family. She should have showed much better judgment, especially in light of her previous role as City Minister with the anti-corruption brief.

As in all recent rows involving the Cabinet, the row was largely focused on historical matters, amplified by the fall of Siddiq’s aunt’s Bangladesh regime in summer. The bigger scandal is that ministers in this country don’t go through thorough enough vetting in this country, leaving the Labour Party to do that work itself.

Lou Haigh, the only other member of the Cabinet, was similarly let go because of an error so light and so far in the rear-view mirror that it’s surprising she was allowed to leave at all.

So I was shocked – or maybe not that shocked – to have to debate Sadiq Khan and Emily Thornberry’s honours on GB News’ evening show Saturday Five.

Sadiq Khan has served his country as an MP for 11 years, before becoming Mayor of London for a now-whopping 9 years. While the right wing love to slam him for his failures, anti-social behaviour is lower than anywhere else in the country. The number of people experiencing crime in London is down. And while knife crime no doubt needs to be addressed, London is far from the worst offender.

Emily Thornberry was a human rights barrister for 20 years before being elected, and has proposed many of the laws that are on our statute book today. What’s more, she keeps getting elected! With over 53% of the vote, she is one of the 30 MPs with the highest vote share in the 2024 election.

These stellar characters have been granted a knighthood and a damehood respectively.

Why should these two outstanding public servants be vilified for the simple task of serving their country? If anything, my view is that in the fullness of time, both will be granted seats in the House of Lords to continue their political legacies.

The Tories and Reform simply cannot understand that, when push comes to shove, this generation of Labour leaders are patriots who actually believe in public service, rather than feathering their own nests.