New Labour Party Leader in UK

On April 4, it was announced via email that Sir Keir Starmer will replace Jeremy Corbyn as the new leader of the UK’s Labour party. The shadow Brexit secretary has been voted into the top job with 56 percent of the vote, defeating Wigan MP Lisa Nandy and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey. For the Labour party, Starmer’s election marks a significant shift away from Jeremy Corbyn’s leftist agenda to more centrist political priorities.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for New Labour Party Leader in UK

Links

“The UK’s Labour party has a new leader: Keir Starmer”
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/4/21207086/keir-starmer-labour-party-uk-elections
 
“Keir Starmer elected UK opposition leader”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/04/keir-starmer-elected-uk-opposition-leader-164357
 
“New Labour leader Keir Starmer vows to lead party into ‘new era’”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52164589
 
“What is in the new Labour leader’s in-tray?”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/03/what-is-in-the-new-labour-leaders-in-tray

“Keir Starmer’s victory speech: What he said – and what he really meant”
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/keir-starmer-victory-speech-labour-leadership-election-what-said-meant-a9447246.html
 
“Starmer can succeed, and he deserves our support”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/04/keir-starmer-labour-leader-committing-policies-the-left
 
“With Keir Starmer in charge, the Tories can be held to account again”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/04/keir-starmer-labour-tories-coronavirus-crisis
 
“The task facing Labour’s new leader”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52169103

Assessment

• Writing: Describe the political ideology of the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. How might this ideology change with the election of Keir Starmer? Will a Starmer Labour party interact with the Torie party leadership in a different way?
• Debate: Keir Starmer’s election is an indication that the Labour party will likely abandon the left-wing policies of Corbyn’s tenure in search of a more bipartisan compromise.
• Poll: Will Keir Starmer likely be a productive party leader?
• Short Answer: How might Starmer’s victory soften the partisan divide in a post-Brexit UK?

Current events quiz:

1) Keir Starmer won this recent election to become leader of the Labour party with what percentage of the votes?

a. 71%
b. 47%
c. 56%
d. 62%

2) Keir Starmer is the _____ leader in Labour party history.

a. 12th
b. 19th
c. 26th
d. 22nd

3) Why did former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, decide to step down?

a. He became ill with the coronavirus.
b. The Labour party suffered a heavy defeat in last year’s general election.
c. He realized that he could not build successful coalitions in parliament.
d. He was forced to resign due to a personal scandal.

4) Keir Starmer is ideologically further to the left than Jeremy Corbyn (T/F)

5) The Labour party has not had so few MP since WWII as it does today (T/F)

6) In his acceptance speech, Starmer says that he will refuse to work the Boris Johnson and the Torie party in order to combat the coronavirus (T/F)

Answers:

1) C

2) D

3) B

4) False

5) True

6) False

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Featured Image Credit: Chris McAndrew