Dear John,

Yesterday in Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts MP asked the Prime Minister a pointed question about his political principles.

Referring to Starmer’s recent right-wing immigration pivot – which many see as a turn away from his original platform – she asked the Prime Minister: “Is there any belief the Prime Minister holds which survives a week in Downing Street?”

Harshly put, but in my view justified.

It could have been an opportunity for Starmer to be statesmanlike, to speak about his broader vision for Britain and outline his principles – especially at a time when his popularity ratings are suffering. A free opportunity to hammer your platform home is one that top politicians should relish.

Instead, the response was a cheap one. Almost Johnsonian. “Yes, the belief that she talks rubbish,” the Prime Minister replied.

If you watch the video below, you may catch Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner’s quite disparate reactions in the background.
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The exchange illustrates a much deeper problem with how our politics works today.

For too long, Westminster debates have come off as a pantomime.

Politicians trade soundbites and sneers while the things people actually care about – broken housing, inequality, climate inaction, and real problems with the immigration system – go unanswered.

Each time this happens, public trust erodes a little more. People switch off. Cynicism grows. This is the kind of exchange that makes politics feel like a bad joke.

But democracy doesn’t have to be like this. We deserve a politics where real questions are met with real answers. Where honesty, accountability, and principle matter more than point-scoring and media spin.

We’re calling for democratic renewal so that we can actually have hard conversations. That’s the entire point of democracy, to debate and refine policy so that it works for all of us.

I’m tired of watching this tragic comedy unfold in Westminster – and I’m quite sure most of the country is, too.

Surely, we can do better.

All the best,

Matt

Matt Gallagher

Communications Officer

Open Britain Team
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