‘Better the devil you know’: former Labour voters in Birmingham unsure about replacing Starmer | Labour

Former Labor voters in the Birmingham constituency were worried last week about what might happen next, as Keir Starmer faces the prospect of a leadership challenge.

A month ago the group in Birmingham Yardley had little positive to say about the prime minister, comparing him to a mouse or a donkey. They said they felt like he let them down.

But the same voters appeared clearly worried about the idea of ​​Labor MPs getting rid of Starmer when they met for a second focus group, convened by More in Common, during local election week.

Bob, an engineering manager, summed up what several members were feeling. “I don’t know if it would be better without him, because things aren’t good right now, but things can always get worse and you never really know.

“Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Not that we know him, because he doesn’t say much.”

Emma, ​​who works in a special needs school, agreed: “I was going to say the same thing, the same sentence, sometimes you know the devil is good.”

While discussing the alternatives, another member, secondary school teacher Terry, identified some possible candidates to replace Starmer, describing two of them favorably – but he was still not entirely sure of the idea. “There’s his old sidekick, Angela Rayner, and the king of the north is – what’s his name? -.”

He said Rayner and Andy Burnham were “very working class, but also much more relatable.” But he added: “As Bob said, would things really get better? We don’t know what Keir Starmer is doing… He may be a genius behind the scenes and may actually be the only thing keeping us out of a real war. But all we hear about is the Mandelson scandal, this scandal and this scandal… He needs to be more outspoken about the good. If it were me, I’d be shouting the good all the time.”

Terry also brought up the lasting memory of Starmer’s mistakes in his first months in power: “We still carry the bad taste of when they tried to take money from pensioners when they first came in.”

Similar uncertainty about Starmer’s replacement was expressed by lorry driver Dean, despite the Mandelson scandal and its impact on people’s respect for Starmer. “I think he managed to get out of this situation. Should he give it up? I don’t know. Because you can’t find a perfect prime minister.”

Despite concerns about Labor replacing Starmer, the group still wanted to see change. “I think we need to change that a little bit,” said Kayla, who works in retail, describing her frustration that “everything is going up — oil, depletion — except our wages.”

The group discussed feeling completely fed up with cost-of-living pressures and gave no indication that things were improving as the Iran war dragged on last month.

Dan, a younger member of the group, said he was impressed by Reformation but wanted more effective management. “People want change, so whether you go Green or Reform, it’s a different thing. We don’t want the status quo to stay the same, we want change, so people will choose one or the other.”

He continued: “If someone from any party came tomorrow and said we will fix all the potholes and I will handle the garbage from now on, they would immediately get my vote. No matter which party it is.”

Two others in the group – Terry and Emma – had a positive view of the Greens. Terry thought Zack Polanski was “very outspoken, very clear about what his message was and what he stood for.”

He added: “That’s what Labor doesn’t have, that’s what Labor is missing… they seem to be more like the Conservative Party now.”

Emma agreed, saying: “They [the Green party] It seems to be more about people, family, wages, environment and things that affect us more and more day by day. “It seems to me that they all offer a little more hope… It seems that the Labor Party has now handed over the baton to the Greens.”

Although she supported a left-wing party, Emma did not have strong views against the Reformation. “If there is change for the better, then that’s what I’m here for,” he said. “If they come across as strong opponents, sometimes you have to take that risk and hope for the best. If they come in and deliver on everything, that would be great.”

Voters’ desire for change, but confusion about who can best deliver it, has emerged more widely in Birmingham. The city council now consists of Reform, Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents. Deals, compromises and a new way of doing politics in Birmingham will inevitably follow.