‘Labour’s Deputy Leader should articulate our future – by learning from our past’

As our party is now in the midst of a deputy leadership contest that was unthinkable a few weeks ago, there’s no shortage of opinions on the qualities and priorities the candidates should embody at this crucial time. They’ll need to be politically effective, a strong communicator, able to unite the party and the country, and to singlehandedly counter the threat of Reform – all while being the perfect ‘Goldilocks’ porridge’ ideological balance of centrist and left-wing for the membership. Easy enough. 

Labour’s heritage and intellectual tradition

Many of these considerations are undoubtedly key, but there is a much more fundamental element to hope for in our deputy leader – a grounding in the values, ideas and history that underpins our movement and make Labour who we are. An understanding of that heritage and intellectual tradition, we argue, could be the reset the government is crying out for, and this deputy leadership election a valuable opportunity to inject it into the conversation. 

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On coming to power in July last year, Labour inherited an unenviable number of crises – small boats; NHS waiting lists; inflation; and intensifying global conflicts to name but a few. The government’s approach to this was largely technocratic – focusing on developing practical solutions to real problems. This was a reflection not only of the state of the country, but the desire to change course after the Corbyn years, when the prioritisation of ideology over pragmatism contributed to our worst election defeat since 1935.

Yet in changing course, Keir Starmer has, perhaps, overcorrected. There is a risk that pragmatism now prevails at the expense of any guiding ideology. While Corbynism was defined and articulated in no uncertain terms, Starmer has explicitly stated that ‘there is no such thing as Starmerism, and there never will be’.

Reconnecting

This is why we desperately need a deputy leader who can provide this vision – not creating Starmerism from scratch, but reconnecting us to our existing intellectual roots. Whether it’s RH Tawney’s Christian socialist vision of equality and business in service of the common good, or Anthony Crosland’s ideas on state-managed capitalism, there is no shortage of inspiration from progressive thinkers to draw on in our party’s history. Their insights remain relevant to a whole range of issues facing us today – health and social care reform; migration; the role of big tech and AI. Even the government’s current pursuit of growth – important as it is – would be more compelling if grounded in these deeper ideas about what growth should serve and whom it should benefit. (If there is a comparative dearth of women whose names spring naturally to mind here, that is surely all the more reason for a candidate in this all-female race to seize the opportunity.)

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A deputy leader with this connection to our intellectual history, and ability to bring it to bear on today’s challenges, would complement Starmer’s pragmatism. And there’s no doubt that both are needed – the last Labour government was effective not simply because of its pragmatic delivery of radical change – whether it was the introduction of the minimum wage, investment in the NHS, or LGBT rights – but because these were part of a strong, progressive vision for Britain. 

Rigorous thinking and compelling narrative

Strong intellectualism needn’t come at the expense of the human storytelling needed to capture the imagination of the electorate. Key to the last Labour government’s success was also its ability to combine this rigorous thinking and action with compelling narratives that resonated with voters.

This human-centred approach should also shape our policy priorities – not least to create the conditions for more effective political communication. There is space for regulation to tackle economic monopolies and online misinformation, hand in hand with the need for government to value human relationships as well as economic units. We can be the voice of human beings when tech companies seek to exploit human connection for commercial opportunity.

If Labour’s new deputy leader can work with the Party to identify, grasp and articulate who we are today, they can offer a compelling vision to the country, and much-needed hope and inspiration.

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John Smith, whose own intellectual treasure trove drew on theological as much as political ideas, said in 1994, ‘let us not underestimate the desire, which I believe is growing in our society, for a politics based on principle’. Our plea to any potential deputy leadership candidates three decades later is the same: do not underestimate the desire for deep, thoughtful principles beneath the economic pragmatism of the age. 

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