Keir Starmer made an exclusive appearance on a lunchtime panel show. No, it wasn’t the logical choice, Politics Live, but the much fluffier Loose Women. The prime minister was there to talk about the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.
Starmer going on daytime TV as a distraction
This is, of course, a very important subject and not one we would ever fucking make fun of here at the Canary. However, it’s very convenient timing that the prime minister is being rolled out on daytime tv playing the concerned parent.
The PM is currently under increased scrutiny following the treatment of pro-Palestine prisoners who are on hunger strike in prison. Yesterday, the Canary and Zarah Sultana had to fight along with protesters to ensure Qesser Zuhrah was allowed to go to hospital after hunger striking for 43 days. The prison refused to call an ambulance for over 13 hours. The prime minister and his cabinet did absolutely nothing and made no comment.
Starmer in “concerned dad” mode
And now, back to the distraction. Starmer rocked up in his usual ‘I’m just a concerned dad’ costume of a shirt with rolled up sleeves and no tie to joke with Judi Love that he’s a “bit scared of her”. Thankfully, Charlene White did actually attempt to interview him seriously.
White said
What you need to be able to convince us is that any of these changes will make any difference whatsoever.
To which Starmer replied:
I think they will make a difference, and we must make a difference. Let me start by saying I really wanted to come on Loose Women to launch this strategy because of your campaigning on this and because I know that we can only do this is if we do it together.
It became increasingly clear as the interview went on that he was literally only there to butter them up.
Now, halving violence against women and girls is going to be really difficult, let me say that upfront. I’ve been working on this issue for the best part of twenty years. When we were doing it in criminal justice we took measures, they moved the dial a bit, but halving it is really difficult.
He didn’t at any point in the interview go into any detail beyond that schools will teach kids what healthy and unhealthy relationships are.
Mariella Frostrup asked a long, rambly question that basically blamed smartphones and not the men and boys behind them. This moment makes it very clear why Starmer did the show. Because, thanks to this random outburst, he’s able to just breeze on by without actually being pulled up on what he’s going to do. He’s also annoyingly able to come out looking good by pointing out that social media isn’t the cause.
Misogyny is very close to home
It is, however, bold for the Prime Minister to speak on misogyny when Westminster is rife with it. As panelist Myleen Klass brings up:
When it comes to misogyny it doesn’t always scream, it often whispers. How are you tackling it? Is there misogyny at Westminster?
Starmer attempts to weasel out of this:
Oh there’s undoubtedly misogyny at Westminster, I think it’s everywhere I doubt there’s many people across the country who don’t know somebody who’s been subject to abuse.
But Klass is on it again:
Well you know someone really close, one of our closest allies recently used the language “quiet piggy”. Would you allow for someone to speak to your daughter your wife, your colleagues in the way that Trump spoke to a female journalist?
Because of course, a lot of men can only care about misogyny when it’s happening to a woman they know. Starmer attempts to shut this down, unconvincingly:
No I wouldn’t, I absolutely wouldn’t. I would call it out, but I would also say part of the stuff we’re doing with teenagers is talking about behaviours they might not think is problematic but are.
Which is all fair and good but this is the first time Starmer has even spoken about Trump’s misogyny and even then he didn’t mention him directly. They’ve spent plenty of time together, so there’s no doubt been plenty of times Trump’s said something about women in front of him.
The country hates you, mate
Thankfully, this isn’t just a nice bit of PR on his new strategy and Judi Love is there to bring him to task.
Love asked:
I’m listening to what you’re saying, but as a country, we’ve got child poverty, we’re calling ambulances and they’re taking hours to come. As a community, the UK feels disconnected from you. They don’t know that you understand what they’re going through. People working two jobs, three jobs, they’re tired.
How do you feel knowing generational voters for Labour are starting to feel like they do not want to vote anymore?
Starmer tried to give a politician’s answer to this with:
I want to take up that challenge, because I am acutely aware that the cost of living is the number one issue for most families up and down the country, and therefore it’s really important, as we did in the budget that we take measures to tackle the cost of living.
He attempted to placate by reeling off stats, but Judi wasn’t having it:
But the ones who are watching this right now. The ones who are sitting here watching this feeling like their voice is not being heard. What would you say to them, Prime Minister?
The ones who are desperate, they’re on their edge, they don’t know what they can do next to make a change in their life, they’re waiting on you as the leader of this country. What would you say to them?
What came next was truly utterly fucking unreal:
I listen I hear and then I act.
WHAT? There was no explanation on that batshit sentence by the way. Despite the last year and a half showing the contrary.
Nice cuddly father, husband, genocide enabler
The interview finished up with Frostrup asking what the worst day he’d had so far was. Starmer replied:
Actually it was the day of the election and it nearly broke my heart. We got the election poll that said Labour’s got a landslide victory and I was with my team and my family. i jumped up and punched the air as I would if Arsenal had just scored a fantastic goal and my little girl, then 13, burst into tears
Again, there’s no explanation of why this happened. Though presumably it was because her father had just become prime minister – many of us felt the same. He does later explain he brought her round by buying her a kitten though.
Just when it seemed like this bullshit was over, he was fucking back after the break. And this is clearly the fluffy bullshit his team were hoping for. He gets asked about cooking on Christmas day.
The leader of our country got to spaff on about how he’s “desperately” trying to get his kids to eat brussel sprouts and him and his daughter buying Christmas presents. How about you desperately try to give a fuck about people on hunger strike while you enable a genocide instead, mate?
While the subject of violence against women and girls is obviously a very important one, it was very clear that the reason Starmer choose to go on Loose Women today was to make himself look like a caring dad, father, and prime minister. And when you think of it like that, it’s absolutely fucking disgusting that he’s had to use abuse of women to humanise himself to a country that rightfully hates him.
Featured image via X/ITV Politics
This post was originally published on Canary.