Ben Cowles
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LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer faced criticism yesterday after penning an article for the Daily Mail, agreeing with Boris Johnson’s plans to send kids back to school come what may.
Mr Starmer began the Mail on Sunday article by criticising the government over its exam results fiasco before turning his forensic analysis to the Prime Minister’s handling of schools during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“So, let me send a very clear message to the Prime Minister,” he wrote. “I don’t just want all children back at school next month, I expect them back at school.
“No ifs, no buts, no equivocation.”
Communist Party of Britain general secretary Rob Griffiths slammed the Labour leader for praising Britain’s teachers when they rightly attack the algorithm scandals but ignoring their views when it comes to the full reopening of schools.
“The teaching unions were right to caution against the government’s haste a few months ago and, like the Welsh Labour government, teachers are right to put the fight against Covid-19 first in September,” he said.
“Starmer’s insistence that all schools must open then, come what may, is reckless point-scoring that will impress nobody, least of all the Tory readership of the Daily Mail that he is so keen to suck up to.”
On Sunday, former Labour MP Laura Smith said on Twitter: “Why anyone would write an article to appear in the Daily Mail, a paper that has spread such racist, hateful bullshit for such a long time is seriously beyond me.
“It’s not going to change. It’s not going to start wanting the left to win. It’ll smash us to bits at every opportunity.”
Even former New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell appeared to take a shot at the Labour leader.
“I am beyond rage at [the] government’s incompetence [and] venality [regarding] exams etc,” Mr Campbell wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
“But I am getting not far behind on [the] rage front at [the Labour Party’s] inability to take them apart and force change on it.
“They are the opposition. Not commentators saying how shit things are. Plenty of us can do that outside.”
