Westminster’s New ‘Boys Club’ Wears An Unconvincing Disguise

If one thing is a cardinal sin in British politics, perhaps it’s being boring. Plain, unassuming, uninspiring - all words that have been used to describe our current Prime Minister. Keir Starmer is just the latest to suffer from these epithets, which had also been levelled at predecessors such as Theresa May and Gordon Brown. As much as politicians aspire to situate themselves above the masses, relatability and likeability have undeniably become election winners. In attempting to escape his reputation for awkwardness, it seems Keir Starmer has embraced an altogether too familiar strategy, exposing the rot that underpins British politics as present within his own circle.

Starmer’s manifesto promises have been reduced to a half hearted laundry list of commitments ripped to shreds, often deservedly, by the British press. But what he had generally avoided until now was a dissection of his character. Throughout his premiership, Starmer has successfully positioned himself as the antithesis to the former infamous ‘Partier-in-Chief’ Boris Johnson. But the image has finally slipped as a result of recent scandals that have accelerated his fall from grace. Losing the image of a mild-mannered statesman, the Prime Minister is instead becoming increasingly plagued by all too familiar accusations of presiding over scandal, and the consolidation of an elite ‘boys club’ at the highest levels of public office.

In this latest episode, Keir Starmer has been accused of pushing through the appointment of the infamous Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the United States, despite security vetting concerns and connections to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Recent investigations have uncovered that multiple cautions had been issued regarding Mandelson’s appointment, with the agency responsible for security vetting, United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), concluding that Mandelson should not be granted the security clearance necessary to conduct his role. Additionally, although the Prime Minister previously claimed that Mandelson had lied about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, at the time of his appointment it was public knowledge that Mandelson had continued his relationship with Epstein since the latter’s conviction in 2008 for soliciting sex from a minor. Real questions are being asked regarding the Prime Minister’s personal culpability for such an obvious error in ongoing enquiries that have already resulted in the resignation of Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, a man often named as central to the development of Labour’s ‘boys club’.

One might ask why such a scandal-averse Prime Minister insisted on the appointment of a man nicknamed the ‘Prince of Darkness’ who had previously been forced out of public office twice. The appointment itself reeks of the very cronyism and elite ‘boys club’ image the Prime Minister has attempted to differentiate himself from. And the problem runs even deeper than Mandelson. Starmer has also been forced to defend awarding a peerage to his former communications chief, Lord Doyle, after claiming that he ‘did not give a full account’ over his links with a convicted sex offender. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch echoed what many are thinking in response, accusing Starmer of ‘stuffing government with hypocrites and paedophile apologists’.

Even those within the party can see it. Serving member of cabinet Lisa Nandy has complained about briefings ‘dripping with misogyny’, accusing Labour of functioning as a ‘boys club’. Government officials have joked about the ‘boys in blue suits’ or the group of ‘ladz’ with Morgan McSweeney at the helm. Continuous concerns have been raised regarding factionalism in the party, and the difficulty backbenchers face in accessing the Prime Minister. Starmer’s recent refusal to substantially engage with newly elected Green MP Hannah Spencer’s PMQs question regarding the alleged drinking culture within parliament also continues to leave a bad taste in the mouth. 

The culture of misogyny and scandal in Westminster is nothing new, and certainly nothing any long-term observer of British politics would be surprised by. But what is so difficult to swallow for many is the new face of it. A man who has curated an image of respectability cannot appoint a known friend of a convicted paedophile to the highest levels of power and carry on unscathed. Starmer’s inoffensive image of tolerance and competence will not withstand the public’s increasing exposure to the truths of how his inner circle functions. The public cannot be appeased with meaningless platitudes and endless commitments to inclusivity - a genuine culture shift is needed, and Starmer has just lost the legitimacy to deliver it.

Image: Flickr/No 10 Downing Street (Simon Dawson)

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