Up next in 10
Sir Keir Starmer has been compared to a "James Bond villain" in a scathing assessment of his New Year's message to the nation.Reacting to the message on GB News, hosts Tom Harwood and Nana Akua tore into the Prime Minister's appearance in the footage, criticising his choice of "dark wardrobe" for the occasion.FULL STORY HERE.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Now, the Prime Minister, he's released another video message
0:03
Yes, this time promising positive change is on the horizon. Not now, but is on the horizon
0:08
At some point. This is, of course... How far away that horizon is, who knows
0:12
Sigurd Starmer admitted that times finally have been hard in Britain. I think a lot of them potentially made worse by their policies
0:19
But he insisted his government is staying the course, God help us, to turn things around
0:25
Things have been tough in Britain for a while. For many, life is still harder than it should be
0:33
You long for a bit more money in your pockets, a meal out, a holiday
0:38
the chance to make a special family moment extra special. In 2026, the choices we've made will mean more people will begin to feel positive change
0:51
in your bills, your communities and your health service. I just can't take my eyes off the goatee
0:59
The reflection from when he's talking... It's some sort of shadow under his chin. It makes it look like he's got a goatee
1:04
I mean, like, what director? Who directed that, for God's sake? It's all a bit of a..
1:09
How could they not see that? I don't know if I quite like his sort of quite dark shirt
1:14
He quite often does a very dark shirt with a dark suit jacket and it all just looks a bit dark
1:18
And then he's got this shadow underneath his chin. I mean, is he going for some sort of, I don't know, Bond villain
1:23
Well, he's wearing all black, isn't he? It's sort of like, you know, black is synonymous with, you know
1:29
more dark things. And, you know, whether you go to a funeral or something awful
1:33
you wear dark colours. Most people wear dark. Why is he wearing that as well
1:38
Well, let's speak to our panel, Charlie Rowley, who's a former Conservative advisor and also former Labour advisor
1:44
Scarlett Maguire. Scarlett, we have to come to you first. That is your great leader. What the hell is going on
1:49
Even surely you would say that he should sack the director. I think clearly somebody hasn't reviewed it properly before he did it
1:56
I mean I think the problem with what he wearing is I don think anybody would pretend that Keir has any taste in clothes I mean he can do suits He one of the worst casual dressers I ever come across
2:10
The problem is Lord Ali has stopped buying him all of his clothes. Well, I think that it's about colours
2:17
The thing under his chin is very, very strange. And actually, that's what you're paid to look through the thing
2:25
and saying this is what it is. and how do we change it? And it's obviously, I mean, stuff I really don't know
2:32
but it's obviously about lighting or something like that. I mean, he clearly hasn't got a goatee
2:36
But if we get onto his message, I mean, I think, to be fair
2:41
I think if one's been reading the Financial Times, I mean, they've been saying, Stephen Bush had been saying for a long time
2:48
is that actually Keir has got to tell us that it is really, really tough
2:53
and it's going to take a lot to turn it round. and that's what he's saying
2:58
Finally, he's saying we're going to turn it round, but it's going to be a difficult journey
3:02
I suppose the difficulty here, Charlie, is that it's OK to say things are tough
3:08
if that's what you say before the election. The Conservatives in 2010 went into that election saying
3:13
look, it's tough, we've had a big recession, we're going to need to have spending restraint
3:17
In 1979, we also saw that from Margaret Thatcher coming in saying
3:22
yes, the medicine is harsh, but the patient requires it. We have her favourite repeated catchphrases
3:29
We had a Labour government come in in 2024 on the promise of hope and change
3:37
And now they've sort of turned that around into, well, we've all got to tighten our belts
3:43
Well, there's certainly been a lot of change, but it's the change that nobody voted for, and they've been changing things
3:48
They've been changing their own mind, the amount of U-turns that they've carried out. And you described him as a sort of a Bond villain in that dark outfit
3:56
I think there was a Bond movie, Doctor No. And I think the public will be saying no no no in that Thatcher spirit This is two Margaret Thatcher quotes in space of about two minutes Exactly You inspired me Tom Let be fair to Kit Stalmer
4:11
His quote, things will get worse before they get better. Yeah, which I think is fair enough
4:17
And I think it was problematic. And I completely agree with you, Tom
4:22
that actually what he should have said is things are really dreadful at the moment
4:28
and it's going to take us, you know, it's like turning around an aircraft carrier
4:32
It's going to take us a while. And I think, to be fair on the government
4:38
is they found out how tough governing is. Which, because I think we watched with the Tory
4:43
it's OK, so, you know, you had Boris, who really should never have been Prime Minister
4:48
then you had Liz Truss, who was a disaster. Then I thought, oh, Rishi Sunak, you know, he'll be fine, right
4:54
He's a sensible person. He's been a Chancellor. And it was a disaster. And actually what Rishi taught me is how difficult governing is
5:02
I have a little bit of sympathy. And so when the Prime Minister says he goes to pull a lever
5:07
and nothing much happens and it's the system, I can understand that because there is a lot of system
5:12
that you get through the bureaucracy of big government departments or people, officials sort of having their own agendas
5:17
and not informing ministers or giving them the paperwork that they only want to show them
5:23
As your former boss once called it, the blob. The blob, exactly. Exactly. That does exist. So I can sympathise
5:29
But he is in the hot seat. He is in the driving seat now. It's his job to cut through that bureaucracy and get those results
5:37
But it's a mess sometimes of his own making. No, what I'm saying is governing is tough
5:43
It is. It's very hard. It's really, really difficult. But you make it..
5:48
Lots of things... No, no, no. You say what? Lots of things are tough. They've been in there 14 years
5:52
They would have known the systems behind that make decisions difficult. No, they don't know
5:58
Nana, when you're in opposition, you really don't know. And the problem was that because they had 14 years in opposition there was nobody apart from Ed Miliband actually who been in government before And the thing about I can They in the same space
6:15
No, no, you really... They must at least have some... But then to come and govern and say they haven't got a clue
6:20
No, they have got a clue. Of course they've got a clue
6:23
I do think they've done some things wrong. And actually, no, and I think..
6:28
I mean, one of the things... OK, what's the one thing they've done right? Go on. Well, I mean, I think putting up the minimum wage was right
6:34
Doing the renting is right. Renters reform. No, it's really, really good for people who rent
6:41
Landlords are leaving the business. Not as much as... I am a landlord
6:48
That's fine that you are, but actually... No, no, I know because my son, who is just buying, was in renters
6:55
I do think that a lot of things have been good, But I think the biggest mistake they made was right at the beginning
7:02
when Jeremy Hunt said we're going to lower national insurance by 3% or 3p or whatever
7:08
And they should have said no. Instead of saying, oh, we'll stick to it, they should have said no
7:12
It isn't budgeted. That's another mistake. Well, it was a mistake done by the Tories
7:18
No, no, no. What's worse? They had to take responsibility for what they've done. Yeah, and what I've just said, you asked me, I said I think that was the first and the biggest mistake
7:26
And I think in that, if they hadn't have done that, a lot of other things would have to have been done
7:32
What's worse than not having a plan when you've been the leader of the opposition for five years
7:36
and you should be prepared to have a plan is reneging on your plan
7:40
So, you know, increasing national insurance contributions when you said you weren't going to put up national insurers VAT or income tax
7:47
Scrapping the winter fuel allowance on day one for pensioners that are hard pressed up in the run up to winter
7:51
Disaster. Focusing on, exactly, focusing on farmers. another U-turn, not dealing with welfare
7:58
trying to save a measly £5 billion, which their backbenchers couldn't even stomach
8:03
I had to renege on that. It's been one thing after another where they didn't have a plan
8:08
and then they've come in to try and do things and then had to U-turn on it. That's embarrassing
#news
#News
#Politics
#Campaigns & Elections