Telling it like it is

A breath of fresh air from Jess Phillips, arguing that Tory attacks on lefty lawyers were simply aimed at distracting from the mess they’ve made of immigration. But they’re also potentially dangerous for those targetted, like Jacqueline McKenzie. Second, Phillips attacked the chaos over the Bibby Stockholm, which was jus a headline. “There are no fewer people in hotels in Birmingham than there were before the Bibby Stockholm.”

And finally, she dared to suggest that limited financial resources don’t mean that there’s nothing you can do. “While I won’t have the moon on a stick, will and knowledge go a very long way.”

That is worth saying, and it’s not something I’ve heard from the Labour front bench. Not much about Bibby Stockholm, with Stephen Kinnock saying well, of course they’d have to keep it for the moment, because money is short…You can see Keir Starmer counting up the votes in being mean to migrants, and not wanting to give the Tories ammunition. But for God’s sake, what is stopping him from speaking out about attacks on lawyers? Does he think there are votes in that too, which he can’t afford to sacrifice? Does he actually believe in anything, except being Tony Blair Mk II, and the dream of growth?