There’s a solid social-democratic narrative this government could use – if only its leaders would actually try

Picture this. Keir Starmer is sitting at a kitchen table, staring into the camera, wearing decidedly casual clothes. The mug sitting next to his left hand confirms that the people around him are trying something a bit folksy and faux-intimate. As ever, his usual air of awkwardness shows that he is a newcomer to these rituals; in the midst of constant negative news stories, he also looks weary. “I hope you are having a good start to 2025,” he says. “I wanted to begin the new year by assuring you that for me and my government, the work goes on.”

Here we go, you think: the usual cliches. “Five years ago this month, our country fell into one of its most significant run of events in living memory. On 31 January 2020, we finally left the European Union. Then, less than two months later, the threat from Covid-19 meant the start of all those lockdowns, and a long period of fear, worry and bereavement.” This, it seems, might be a bit better than usual. “In time, we all hoped that in recognition of what we had been through, the unfairnesses and inequalities that Covid had so vividly highlighted, would finally be acted on. There was a lot of talk about ‘levelling up’ and ‘building back better’, from politicians who had no intention of making those promises real – and even worse, reckless economic policies that simply made lives even more difficult. And soon enough, war in Europe and a huge cost of living crisis were adding to our predicament.”

John Harris is a Guardian columnist