At the beginning of Sir Keir Starmer’s interview with Trevor Phillips on Sunday Morning, during a summit of left-leaning leaders in Montreal, Phillips asked the Labour leader if this was a reunion of the Third Way band. The summit included notable figures such as Tony Blair, David Miliband, Justin Trudeau, Jacinda Ardern, and Sanna Marin. Organizers claimed it was the largest gathering of left-leaning leaders in 15 years.
For Sir Keir, this summit was the middle leg of a three-country tour, starting with a visit to Europol in the Hague and concluding with a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Previous meetings between UK opposition leaders and international figures haven’t always gone well, but Sir Keir seemed to be handling it confidently.
During his interview, Sir Keir discussed his border security plans, focusing on international cooperation rather than detaining individuals without trial. He mentioned his talks with Interpol in the Hague and how the Montreal summit addressed global issues. He also addressed Tory attacks on his strategy and dismissed claims regarding migration as “garbage” and “nonsense.” Sir Keir also hinted at tax cuts for working people to reduce the tax burden if Labour wins the next election. However, he did not indicate any intervention regarding London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial ULEZ charge.
The interview concluded with Penny Mordaunt comparing Sir Keir to the character Ken from the movie Barbie in a mocking way. Sir Keir responded by expressing his disapproval of such insults and dismissed them as insignificant to him. Despite this discord, Sir Keir continued to engage with the leaders at the Third Way summit and looked forward to meeting President Macron in Paris. Overall, it appeared that Sir Keir was enjoying the attention and recognition on the world stage during his mini world tour.