Starmer uses ‘the family’ to frame arguments for Covid lockdown support

We are approaching the worst point of the coronavirus pandemic and should not leave home unless absolutely necessary, Chris Whitty has warned the public this morning. The government is considering tougher lockdown restrictions – but first, we’re told, ministers want to focus on enforcement of the current rules. There are a number of both ethical and practical problems with that plan: minor breaches are difficult and time-consuming to police; situations such as the Derbyshire example can be created where people are fined for having broken the guidance rather than the law; the impact is disproportionate, as we know that last year young BAME men in particular were much more likely to be fined. Instead of turning up hostility in the community, why not pull genuinely effective levers, such as increasing sick pay or closing nurseries?

Keir Starmer kicked off his appearance on The Andrew Marr Show with the statement that the current rules “may not be tough enough” and commented that nursery schools “probably should close”. These were his top lines on Covid, but he also made headlines in other areas. The Labour leader did not back Labour’s 2019 policy on free broadband for all, but reiterated that Universal Credit should be scrapped, and said there should not be another Scottish independence referendum soon, but did not agree with Boris Johnson’s suggestion of holding another vote only in 40 years. He also confirmed in clear terms something he recently hinted at: his leadership campaign pledge on bringing back EU freedom of movement has been dropped.

Many Labour members online once again found themselves discussing ‘the family’ as a political theme and tool, as Starmer will deliver a speech later this morning on the subject of economic security for families. In his first address of the year, he will urge the government to “put families first during lockdown” by supporting parents and protecting household incomes. This should include, he is expected to say: stopping council tax rises, stopping the planned Universal Credit cut, giving key workers a pay rise, and extending the ban on evictions and repossessions. More details of the proposals and how they are linked to the importance of family can be found here ahead of his 11am speech.

One good reason for framing arguments about the economy in this way is to bring things that might feel abstract closer to people. But some feel suspicious of this rhetoric, perhaps because they have no family or because their own version of family has been marginalised. I can understand such concerns: I am a Labour member despite the fact that one of the first moves of the last Labour government was scrapping lone parent benefit, at a time when single mothers were routinely humiliated by the political class. There is no suggestion that Starmer is promoting any such traditional concept of family – and this can be used as an opportunity not to support regressive policies or narratives but to expand the commonly used definition of family and think about how to support all families.