DAN HODGES: I’ll never turn on my staff, Starmer once said. Try telling that to the trio he has just thrown under a bus

What are the rules? Forget for a moment the ongoing – albeit pointless – debate about Keir Starmer’s future. He’s got nothing, as the upcoming Gorton by-election and local elections will prove.

Instead, let’s focus on something more fundamental that has emerged in a week in which Starmer’s authority and his premiership have completely collapsed. Or rather, let’s focus on something that is submerged. So the foundations of integrity, honesty and integrity, particularly what Sir Keir told us, represent the new guardrails of our national governance.

When he was elected, Starmer promised in his first speech to the nation that he would lead a ‘service government’. He stated that his main mission would be to ‘restore respect for politics’.

He claimed to be acutely aware that ‘when the gap between the sacrifices people make and the service they receive from politicians becomes so wide, it leads to fatigue in the heart of a nation’.

Now compare these words with three specific events we witnessed last week. The first was Sir Keir’s ongoing attempt to insulate himself from the crisis over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington; Yet, as Starmer admitted, he was fully aware that Mandelson was continuing his relationship with the world’s most famous pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

The second was his decision to belatedly strip Labor of his whip after appointing former communications director Matthew Doyle to the House of Lords. Although Starmer was again aware that Doyle had maintained a friendship with a man accused of possessing indecent images of children, an accusation that would later be proven.

Sir Keir sought to insulate himself from crisis over decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington

Third was the news that he had summarily sacked Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald and replaced him with Home Office Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo. Although Romeo faced serious allegations of bullying and misuse of taxpayers’ money during his time at the Foreign Office, multiple Civil Service sources claimed these allegations were not properly investigated.

So like I said, what are the rules? They became clear when Starmer was elected. He claimed integrity in public office had been grotesquely distorted under Boris Johnson. So restoring the highest standards of honesty, humility and transparency represented his driving mission.

Without this, he insisted, Britain had no hope of achieving the change it longed for. Then last week everything suddenly changed. Even highlighting these issues has suddenly become a dereliction of public duty.

Starmer’s allies began to chastise the media, particularly the BBC, for focusing on Mandelson rather than the Government’s policy agenda.

For my part, I was scolded by a minister on Wednesday for focusing on Westminster machinations rather than the Government’s achievements. So this seems to be the new rule. Or the Starmer Rule if you prefer.

Under the Conservatives’ rule, violations of standards in public office were the basis for their mismanagement of the nation. But below that, these are of secondary importance. Not to be confused with the serious business of setting up breakfast clubs and blocking young people from accessing TikTok.

There are also rules surrounding ministry responsibility. Before last week, Starmer was open again.

During the Labor leadership election he piously demanded: ‘Listen to me! As the Director of Public Prosecutions for five years, I had 8 thousand personnel… I carried the can when they made mistakes. ‘I never open my wand, and you should never open your wand either.’

Despite being the subject of serious allegations, Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald was sacked and replaced by Home Office Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo.

Starmer’s allies began blasting the media, particularly the BBC, for focusing on Mandelson

It was a theme he repeatedly emphasized to devastating effect against Johnson and his Cabinet during the Covid crisis and beyond. ‘It is not good for the Prime Minister to go around trying to blame others. “It’s time for him to take responsibility for his own failures,” he repeatedly cursed.

However, last week this rule was also reversed.

He attacked and ostracized every one of his top officials. His chief of staff. Communications director. Cabinet Secretary.

As another senior government official told me: ‘I struggle to think of a Prime Minister more willing to throw his loyalists under the bus.’

Here’s the other new Star Player Rule. Responsibility should have been left to Boris Johnson. But when he’s nearby, he doesn’t even need to pause for breath.

There are also rules about proper political process. As a former DPP, Sir Keir was once a stickler on these issues. Starmer stood up to Priti Patel when an internal investigation found she was guilty of bullying as Home Secretary but Boris Johnson stood by her.

‘The Prime Minister has said before that he hates bullying. But when it is revealed that one of his own ministers is bullying his own staff, he ignores the damning report on his desk and instead protects them,’ she fumed.

However, this rule also became invalid last week. His pick for Cabinet Secretary faces serious allegations of bullying. Multiple sources say he was not properly investigated for these allegations.

New Starmer Rule? Legal process doesn’t matter anymore. Whatever happens, parachute him into the most senior job in the Civil Service.

This is the truth.

Despite Labour’s grandiose ‘change’ talk, nothing has actually changed. The rules of the game under Starmer are the same as under Boris Johnson and his predecessors.

Rule One. Not getting caught lying is the same as telling the truth. Rule Two. If you get caught, never take responsibility yourself. Find someone else to take the fall. Rule Three. Make sure there are no rules when political interests require it.

Maybe there was a time when Keir Starmer truly believed it would be different. Perhaps, as he stood on the steps of Downing Street that first morning, he might have convinced himself that he would truly change the culture of British politics.

But now he, like everyone else in the country, knows the truth. So, when it comes to crisis, the rules governing the Starmer premiership are, as always, duplicitous, duplicitous, mendacious and self-serving.

Transactional attitudes towards abuse and bullying. Adopting the word ‘responsibility’ as a voice rather than a belief.

The morality of political ends dictated by personal interests can justify any malevolent means.

For years, voters have been complaining that ‘they are all the same’.

Last week Keir Starmer proved them right.