HENDRY DEEDES says Keir Starmer is struggling to shed his image as the Tim ... trends now
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Back in the days when Tim Henman was the lonely standard-bearer for British tennis, his sponsors struck upon a scheme to toughen up his image.
The softly spoken, public school-educated darling of the home counties lacked the necessary steel for an international sports star. Too prim, too proper, they thought.
The poor marketing men at Adidas tried just about everything: new clothes, new haircut. They even suggested old Henners stop shaving for a few days to appear more rugged.
Even then, he appeared about as menacing as a Hare Krishna monk.
A similarly doomed project seems to be under way among Labour’s image-makers to give Sir Keir Starmer a flintier makeover.
The poor marketing men at Adidas even suggested old Henners stop shaving for a few days to appear more rugged, and a similarly doomed project seems to be under way to give Sir Keir Starmer a flintier makeover
At PMQs, the opposition leader has begun to adopt a more snarling, aggressive tone — all ‘come on ‘ave a go’ and ‘in-yer-face’ attitude.
Should he arrive in the Commons over the coming weeks sporting a Hells Angels jacket and a pair of bovver boots (vegan-friendly), we should not be too surprised.
The problem is he remains so woefully wooden. I’ve seen grittier performances in lost episodes of Crossroads.
You can just see the voice coach over at Labour HQ having kittens: ‘Keir darling, let’s try it one more — but this time do you think we might inject a bit of oomph into it? You’re auditioning to be Prime Minister, not the voice of the talking clock.’
Yesterday, Sir Keir chose to zero in on ambulance waiting times. He asked the House to imagine that someone, somewhere in the country
