It’s back to school for politicians today – a classic moment for prime ministers to attempt to seize the agenda with a new year speech setting out their vision for the year ahead.
With the health service under extreme winter pressure, it’s an apt moment for Sir Keir Starmer to appear at a hospital to tell the public what he’s doing to try to fix the NHS. Opinion polls repeatedly show it is voters’ number one priority too.
Today’s speech is about trying to reduce the waiting lists – setting out more detail on his manifesto commitment to deliver two million more appointments a year, via a greater focus on community diagnostic centres open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s an important moment and if the measures are successful will make a huge difference to the lives of millions of people waiting for routine treatment, although as a new year reset for a government with plummeting approval ratings, it’s perhaps not the flashiest.
The Musk factor
The risk is whatever Starmer’s message today it would be overshadowed by the unrelenting volley of online attacks against him and his government by Elon Musk, who has succeeded in putting the focus on the PM’s record as director of public prosecutions during the grooming gang scandal.
We’re expecting him to want to try to set the record straight on his work reforming the CPS in this area, and surely he will want to defend his safeguarding minister Jess Phillips from the appalling vitriol she’s suffered over the past few days.
The PM’s strategy so far has been trying to avoid fanning the flames by responding to Musk directly – but with the inflammatory posts of the world’s richest man only escalating, the lack of a firm riposte looks weak.
Once again it seems Starmer and his team have lost control of the headlines before the year has even properly begun.
