Keir Starmer’s government has reached new heights of absurdity. First, the Prime Minister jet-setted to Brussels, cap in hand, to plead with the European Union for better post-Brexit terms. Then, with no apparent plan in place to drive economic growth, he turned to the UK’s regulators, asking them how to achieve what he promised voters he could deliver.
This isn’t leadership—it’s desperation. Starmer’s first months as Prime Minister are increasingly defined by his inability to articulate a coherent vision for Britain’s future, preferring instead to lurch from one begging mission to the next. No wonder people are calling him The Beggar Prime Minister. In opposition, he took to one knee, and now as Prime Minister it is no different.
A Begging Bowl in Brussels
Starmer’s Brussels trip was supposed to signal his government’s diplomatic prowess—a move to “fix Brexit” and usher in a new era of British-European relations. Instead, it exposed his lack of strategic thinking. The EU, unsurprisingly, was in no rush to grant the UK terms, particularly when Starmer arrived without leverage, clear demands, or a robust vision of what Britain wanted to achieve outside the bloc.
Rather than negotiating from a position of strength, Starmer appeared as a supplicant, asking for favours. And what did he bring back? Not new agreements, not concessions, but vague promises of “constructive dialogue” and an awkward sense that Britain had just embarrassed itself on the global stage.
From Brussels to Britain: Passing the Buck
Having achieved little in Brussels, Starmer then turned his attention home. But instead of unveiling a bold economic strategy—a plan to spur growth, encourage investment, and capitalise on the post-Brexit landscape—he penned a letter to regulators asking them for ideas.
Think about this for a moment. Labour spent 14 years in opposition, loudly criticising the Conservatives for failing to deliver economic growth. They campaigned on a platform of change, of “building a fairer, greener economy.” Starmer promised the electorate he was ready to lead. And yet here he is, asking regulators—not his Cabinet, not his advisers, not the British people—for help figuring out how to grow the economy.
This is not the decisive action of a leader with a plan. It’s the flailing of a Prime Minister out of his depth.
A Pattern of Weakness
What ties these two episodes together—Starmer’s Brussels trip and his letter to regulators—is a worrying pattern: the complete absence of leadership. Starmer seems incapable of formulating ideas, let alone implementing them. He drifts from one problem to the next, hoping someone else will hand him the solutions he lacks.
This isn’t just embarrassing—it’s dangerous. The British economy is facing significant challenges: inflation, high living costs, and sluggish productivity. It needs bold, innovative leadership, not a government that spends its time begging for help.
Britain Deserves Better
Britain didn’t vote for a Prime Minister to grovel abroad and pass the buck at home. It voted for a government that would take responsibility and lead with clarity and conviction. Instead, it got a Prime Minister who asks the EU what to do about Brexit and the regulators what to do about the economy.
If Keir Starmer can’t provide the leadership this country desperately needs, he risks going down in history as The Beggar Prime Minister: the man who promised to fix Britain but spent his time asking everyone else how to do it. Britain deserves better than this. It deserves a leader with vision, determination, and the courage to act. Starmer has shown none of these qualities.
