Why Keir Starmer is not Mr Scrooge but a far worse character from Christmas films

We all have a top Christmas movie, don’t we? Being an eternal optimist (believe it or not) whose glass is forever half-full-to-spilling-over, my favourite is It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). A more uplifting story of individuals facing existential challenges, making sacrifices for the common good and showing the moral and practical benefits of Christian charity is hard to find.

It's a great classic at any time of year but is especially poignant at Christmas. The homely characters and the attention to real-life detail, right down to that wobbly staircase newel cap, never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

For others, possibly of a younger generation, it might be Home Alone or even Die Hard. Another classic is obviously A Christmas Carol, of which there are many screen and television adaptations. The 1951 film simply entitled Scrooge, with Edinburgh’s own Alistair Sim playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, or The Muppet Christmas Carol of 1992 are both exceptional interpretations in their own ways.

Utterly unlikeable Mr Potter

Readers will likely know that Mr Scrooge travels on a journey of redemption that became so influential since Charles Dickens first published it in 1843 that the name Scrooge has long been associated with his default misanthropic meanness. No doubt there will be some who will brand Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions over pensioners’ winter fuel payments and Waspi women compensation as Scrooge-like, but they will be mistaken, for Starmer is no Scrooge.

Sadly, and I admit it is rather uncharitable of me to point it out, especially at Christmas time, Keir Starmer is not worthy of the Scrooge epithet as he has yet to display any redeeming features of contrition and remorse.

Instead, while Keir Starmer has all the makings of an unreconstructed miserly misanthrope, he resembles more the fictitiously dark and utterly unlikeable Mr Potter, who owns most of Bedford Falls in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Mr Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, who ironically had become well known across America for his radio broadcasts as Ebenezer Scrooge, is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to defeat George Bailey, the small town local lad with a heart of gold, who is characterised as having aspirational dreams that are never quite realised.

The reason I make this comparison between Scrooge and Potter and believe it stands up to analysis is simple. It is only two weeks ago our Prime Minister relaunched his premiership and that of his government. He appeared to recognise the error of his ways and felt his motives and actions needed to be explained. Surely then, he is more the remorseful Scrooge seeking redemption, than the grasping Mr Potter using every deception to maintain and grow his power?

Relaunch a devious stunt

Sadly, no. Only last week when asked if he had any regrets, if there was anything he would do differently if given the opportunity – he gave the answer he would do the same all again. This rather made the decision to have a reboot meaningless. It was just another devious stunt.

If, given the chance, Keir Starmer would still withdraw the winter fuel allowance from some ten million pensioners when he is aware that 2017 Labour party research using the same formula his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, adopted was estimated to lead to almost 4,000 deaths from cold. No regrets, then? No belief he could have handled it differently or have waited a year until a more compassionate scheme was worked out?

What then about the betrayal of the Chagosians, the native islanders of the Chagos Islands who have seen the sovereignty of their Indian ocean islands, currently administered by the UK, being offered to the government of Mauritius? The Chagosians, mostly decanted to Britain in the 60s and 70s, have professed if they cannot have self-rule they would rather remain British than become part of Mauritius.

Now the new Mauritius government – elected since Labour came to power – has rejected the deal and is demanding further concessions. Rather than take the opportunity to work with the repeatedly betrayed Chagosians, Keir Starmer’s government is intending to rush a deal through before President-elect Donald Trump might intervene (the US has a lease agreement with the UK for the Diego Garcia airbase on one of the islands). Why not listen to the indigenous population rather than a foreign government with no previous claim of sovereignty and open to bidding by communist China?

Family farms broken up

Then there’s the farmers – whom Keir Starmer repeatedly told at conferences and in meetings that they had been badly treated and had nothing to fear from a Labour government. He was going to be different. Actually, he has been worse, agreeing with his Chancellor to reduce inheritance tax allowances that will have the result of family farms being broken up to the benefit of multinational conglomerates and hedge funds.

Then, also last week, we had the news that Keir Starmer’s government will not be providing any compensation to the claims by Waspi women for changing the pensionable age without adequate information. Keir Starmer and many of his Cabinet had campaigned with those women and given them hope. The Chancellor supported the cause alongside her mother – but it was all just performative spin.

Does Keir Starmer honestly believe there is nothing his government could have done differently, or could have done better? That smacks to me of a man who, unlike Scrooge, is not willing to learn how others live and how others might need help. Maybe Labour MP Diane Abbott was right when she said Keir Starmer cannot understand the problems of women pensioners because he already has a big fat pension to protect him from the adversities of life.

So no, Keir Starmer is not Mr Scrooge, his motives and behaviour condemn him as a Mr Potter – and he deserves every criticism for being unwilling to admit error. Merry Christmas to all Scrooges.

Brian Monteith is a former member of the Scottish and European parliaments and a senior advisor to the Tax Reform Council.