It was a day of careful choreography for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as he deftly balanced the demands of international diplomacy with the finer points of public relations. On one hand, the government announced a robust new plan to crack down on late payments to small businesses, a move that will surely resonate with the nation’s many beleaguered entrepreneurs who have spent their lives fruitlessly chasing overdue invoices. It’s a bold and decisive step that finally addresses the age-old question: “How many sternly worded letters does it take to get paid?” The answer, apparently, is “fewer than the number of times we’ll now fine you.”
Meanwhile, on the world stage, the Prime Minister was busy with a different kind of balancing act. In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders discussed the “bitter reminder of the human cost” of the war, a sentiment Sir Keir presumably echoed while also providing updates on President Trump’s latest deadline on Russia. One can only imagine the conversation: “Yes, Volodymyr, it’s a truly awful conflict. But let’s not forget about the new deadline, which, as President Trump has made clear, is very, very new. It’s a new deadline on Russia to stop their stalling tactics and make meaningful progress, which is, of course, a very meaningful deadline.”
This delicate dance continued with the ongoing debate over the UK’s potential recognition of a Palestinian state. Sir Keir, having said he would listen to families of hostages, appears to be listening very intently, all while maintaining that the recognition will proceed unless Israel meets a set of conditions. It’s a position that has been described as a “moral failure” by one former hostage, and a move that is “correcting a historic injustice” by others. In short, it’s the kind of diplomatic tightrope walk that makes you wonder if it would be easier just to send a strongly worded text message.
Kierless Whispers 