‘So why doesn’t Sir Keir Starmer do the decent thing and resign?’ 

• LABOUR has just suffered the worst electoral defeat ever, losing as many as 13 councils and thousands of councillors.

It is unprecedented for a government to make such gains in mid-term local elections, especially a government led by a prime minister mired in corruption and sleaze.

Cannock Chase, for example, has never been Tory before. As for the Hartlepool by-election, to parachute a strong Remain candidate into the strongest Leave area in the country over the heads of the local constituency party was a recipe for disaster.

Faced with electoral defeat Labour leaders have usually resigned as Neil Kinnock did in 1992 followed by Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and, most recently, Jeremy Corbyn.

So why doesn’t Sir Keir Starmer do the decent thing and resign instead of scapegoating and reshuffling? After all he has said that he is responsible.

In fact he has failed to oppose the government adequately. Opposition has been left to a footballer called Marcus Rashford!

Sir Keir is right in just one thing; that the Labour Party needs to change direction. But not in the direction he is going.

Going in the right direction is newly elected councillor Gwen Grahl who stood on a socialist platform in the council by-election of Brondesbury Park (Brent), the most marginal ward in Hampstead and Highgate, which she retained with a stunning swing to Labour from the Tories of 6.6 per cent, the highest in London.

Labour needs to enhance and build on the popular socialist policies in the 2017 and 2019 manifestos and if Sir Keir cannot or will not do that he must make way for someone who will.

KATHARINE BLIGH, NW6