'Is Keir Starmer a Neoliberal?' : A Note on Keir Starmer's Political Rhetoric

This paper examines the cliams of Keir Starmer's election to the Labour Party leadership as a Blairite and neoliberal "restoration" by way of an examination of two of Starmer's key statements, namely his ten pledges in the party's February 2020 leadership contest, and his February 2021 "New Chapter for Britain" speech. This paper concludes that while in the earlier pledges there was a definite leftward movement as compared with the neoliberal line the party took under Blair, Starmer subsequently proved less consistent in this departure, as shown in the "New Chapter" speech--ultimately stronger on rhetorical evocation of Old Labour's "spirit" than its approach to problems, to go by his prescriptions