Hearts & Minds: Whose idea was it anyway? ‘Two-tier Kier’ and the UK-India trade deal

It was the deal that Boris Johnson promised, the one that Rishi Sunak craved. Sir Keir Starmer has struck it and the Tories have jumped on him, accusing the prime minister of national betrayal. Such is the nature of politics where memories are short and one person’s achievement is hailed as a personal calamity. It’s worse now, in Britain, immediately after local elections that left the Tories reeling more than ever and further underlined Nigel Farage’s rise. Like any downed boxer, the Conservatives cling to the ropes, hoping for the bell. It duly arrives with the UK-India trade agreement.

Amid the rollcall of products to be exchanged, Indian employees seconded to the UK for three years will not pay national insurance. Immediately, Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch brands Starmer ‘two-tier Kier’.

Suddenly, a pact that post-Brexit Britain had long sought, that should have been a triumph, that her predecessors desired, is something that had she been in power, Badenoch would never have signed. Not to be ignored, Farage and his anti-immigration Reform party pile in as well. Instead of receiving plaudits, Starmer has a comms battle on his hands.

How to fight it presents a dilemma. He can choose to brush aside the barbs, focusing instead on the benefits the compact undoubtedly brings and how, in a world coping with tariffs fallout, the UK has locked arms with the world’s fourth largest economy. Or he can push back on the detail, highlighting that similar exemptions already exist with 17 other countries and UK workers will enjoy the same benefits in India. To do that risks getting into the weeds when he should be basking on the beach. It also takes him into awkward territory regarding his own style and reputation.

Starmer is a lawyer, forensic in attention to detail. It’s a strength that has served him well but it is also a weakness. Modern politics is about slick presentation and connecting with people, not simply via traditional media but by social media, podcasts and all manner of outlets from which they form their views (Labour’s new comms chief is advocating lifestyle, shopping magazines and sites as one must-reach area). Donald Trump’s success is testament to that. Does he really want to be arguing about the minutiae of immigration and tax, two Labour bugbears now joined, and will they listen anyway? Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, his is truly a zero-sum game.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.