Labour Party Leadership: The Shadow of Tony Blair
April 7, 2020, 3:00 am

Labour Party Leadership: The Shadow of Tony Blair

Zara Saleh

The shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has won the Labour leadership after beating Rebeca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy with 56% votes. On Sunday 5th April 2020, the new leader has appointed his shadow cabinet. Leadership

Expectedly, it will be the beginning of the new era for the Labour Party as he was promoted, due to the last worst defeat since 1935 in general elections in Labour’s history.

Yesterday, Saturday 4th after the declaration of the result, Starmer in his speech ensure that “he will engage constructively with the government” during the national emergency time that facing whole the country due to Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Keir Starmer as he was elected as the new leader for the Labour Party and he invited him to a briefing next week with the other opposition parties and to work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

However, despite the new leader has agreed to work together with conservative’s government regarding coronavirus pandemic as it will be in his priority and national duty in this critical situation, Starmer has ensured that “would not mean avoiding being critical when that was deserved”. Leadership

With the coronavirus pandemic concerns which is become a global issue, there are several challenges that Starmer needs to tackle, especially the issues related to the Labour party’s policies. In the last four elections, Labour has been failed and the recent December’s elections 2019 was the worst defeat under Jeremy Corbin’s leadership.

Consequently, the new leader will “inherit” the results of the policies of the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbin and the outcomes of his far-left influences on the party that has been expressed even into the party’s manifesto. For example, Starmer’s next priority after coronavirus battle will be tackling anti-Semitism rhetoric and in his victory speech, he promised to sort out this problem with the Jewish community as he apologizes to them and had described anti-Semitism as “stain on the party”.

Furthermore, the shadow cabinet expected to be a combination of the majority of the Labour party’s political fractions that can represent different views aiming to sustain the party’s balance.

Besides, the new leader’s other main priority is focusing on bringing the Labour party back to power in the upcoming election 2024 as a long-term strategic plan. For instance, he will need to pay more attention to the traditional areas where the Labour has been defeated in the last general election and had lost their seats such as Wales, Scotland, north England and West Midlands. Leadership

On the other hand, in upcoming days, the new leader's mission will not be eased to tackle all these issues and challenges despite he was supported by the main unions in the UN such as Unison. Added to that, Starmer was supported by the former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and London mayor Sadiq Khan. In his mission to make Labour a party government, he will need at first to keep party’s unite, learning from its mistakes and then to rebuild the trust and connection with the public that has been lost in recent years.

That is why he had appointed his shadow cabinet with different figures that can express his coming party’s plan and even he had promised during his election campaign to sustain Jeremy Corbin inherit. Leadership

Making a real change it might be the Sir Keir Starmer mission as a newly elected leader of the Labour party which can eventually make a difference to people’s lives.

In addition, to set Labour back on the power and overwhelming all the main issues above it might require a new leadership team and charismatic figure at the level of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair and hopefully, Sir Keir Starmer will be the right new elected leader to begin this mission.

By: Zara Saleh levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.