Kier Starmer and the Sun Newspaper by Ann Smith

I may be proven wrong about the newly appointed UK Labour leader, Kier Starmer, and his future battles. These may not be the impact of COVID-19, the incompetent charm of Boris Johnson, or the capricious nature of Labour party members.  He has his enemies in the Sun newspaper, and this might be his struggle. 

The UK Sun newspaper is worrying influential, read by the working class but a Conservative controlled read.  A dreadful, gossipy journal that bullies’, politicians, and celebrities in a vicious style.   The Sun was first published in 1964 and was established as a working class read – including salacious gossip, good sports reporting, and topless women on page 3 – probably contributing to its popularity on construction sites.  I recall hearing groups of men discussing the breasts of the daily page 3 model as this was considered acceptable in misogynistic 1970s Britain.  Over time and under different owners. The Sun developed from Labour support to Conservative support.  

In 1979, the paper fully endorsed the UK Conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in the year's general election and on 3 May 1979 it ran the front-page headline, VOTE TORY THIS TIME. This Conservative support has continued until this day and worryingly, The Sun is still read by many older working class families;  it has the highest circulation figures for daily newspapers in the United Kingdom since the late 1970s and remains the biggest-selling newspaper in the UK.

So, what is the conflict between "kingly" Kier Starmer and The Sun newspaper? 

It stems from the 1992 Stephen Lawrence case where a young black man was ruthlessly killed by four vile young white men – a racist crime that uncovered institutional racism within the Police and other institutions. As Chief Prosecutor, Kier Starmer contributed to the conviction of two of the killers who had for many years remained free men due to Police indifference and racism.  Unfortunately, he then criticized Sun journalists.  Here is the excerpt from The Sun online dated 28 February 2017:

Labour’s Keir Starmer compares 30 innocent Sun journalists to murderers of teenager Stephen Lawrence

The ex-chief prosecutor refused to apologise for his botched 'witch hunt', claiming the convicted killers had once been acquitted too.

The details of this report are described by Sun journalist Trevor Kavanagh earlier this year (Jan 2020):

In a travesty of justice, Kier Starmer rammed two dozen innocent (Sun) journalists through Old Bailey trials on trumped-up conspiracy charges — a medieval catch-all which even the Crown Prosecution Service admitted was “an extremely difficult and rarely visited area of the law”.

The trials ended with acquittals all round, an admission that “no crime may have been committed” and this rebuke from the Lord Chief Justice:

“What concerns me is the freedom of the Press and the desire of officials to contain information.

“We must ensure the Press is protected — we can’t use criminal sanctions to undermine their position.”

The defendants were all journalists on The Sun or the News of the World — then seen by the Left as fair game.

The trials followed The Sun’s decision to switch its support from Gordon Brown’s floundering regime to David Cameron’s Tories.

The ‘innocent’ Sun journalists have long memories and are unlikely to forgive Kier Starmer offended them – although historically these journalists have offended 100s of people (most recently presenter Caroline Flack who subsequently committed suicide) and  

Kier Starmer will not be forgiven. 

Kier Starmer is now an enemy of The Sun newspaper, still unremittingly a popular read.  These journalists will dredge out any past misdemeanors of his or his wife, or his parents, brothers or sisters, past loves, pet dogs or any other individual who has had a passing interaction with him.  They will haul out unflattering images (tricky, because he’s a handsome man) where it  might be suggested he has his hand on a ladies bottom (and what’s wrong with that if the lady agrees?) or admits to having a puff on a spliff (really?  Who hasn’t at the age of 55 engaged in some druggy venture?). The Sun journalists will ruthlessly attempt to deride and diminish Kier Starmer.

So, Kier must be strong, resilient, highly intelligent and prove himself to be the LEADER of the UK Labour party.  We in the UK need that, as the Corona pandemic continues and inevitably knocks the economy for many months or years to come.  We need a Labour party in power to ensure that working people who no longer have work are supported through a fair benefit system and good education to rebuild decimated Britain. Boris Johnson may present as an amiable buffoon but he has NO IDEA about the working family on low income or benefits who is modest, proud, wants the best for their children and will never have shares or financial back-up to keep them going through these impending hard times.

I am still getting to know Kier Starmer.  Yes, he has risen from working class ordinariness to wealth and prestige through intelligence and hard work.  Yes, he has made mistakes (as we all have as mature adults navigating our lives). I hope that his Labour credentials remain strong and he can determinedly and unremittingly ensure that the UK wins the next election. Historically, the strongest Labour majority wins were under Clement Atlee, then Tony Blair: two very different Labour leaders.  Let’s hope that Kier Starmer’s preference is for Atlee rather than Blair – he has been rather coy about his personal preference in terms of centre or left labour policies.  He can then lead our decimated country for the many working- and middle-class people who are extraordinary – the people who have proven their worth already and will continue to do so.   

Donovan Reynolds is CEO of Kingstonmouth.com.  He is a trained Diplomat, Human Rights activist, and a Communication Consultant. Ann Smith is a British Educator and Social Activist. Kingstommouth.com is a charitable organization that has been in existence for over eight years with an interest in Politics, Human Rights, and International Development Issues. Readers wishing to comment on this article may do so at the space provided on this blog. Alternatively, they can contact us at kingstonmouth 63@ gmail.com or on our twitter or Facebook Page.