Britain | Bagehot
Why Britain’s Labour government enjoys hippy-punching
And why that risks being more of a fetish than a strategy
Hippy-punching is a simple concept. To gain the trust of voters, leaders of centre-left parties must hunt down their most left-wing members and pummel them. Once an Americanism, it is associated in Britain with Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader who won power with his knuckles covered in leftie blood.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The limits of hippy-punching”
Britain July 27th 2024
More from Britain
The race to become leader of Britain’s Conservatives
An exhausted party seems to think that it doesn’t have to change
How deep is Britain’s fiscal “black hole”?
Rachel Reeves sets out her first big decisions as chancellor
Shabana Mahmood, Britain’s new Lord Chancellor
The new justice secretary is both progressive and religious
How King Charles III counts his swans
A ritual that pleases conservationists and annoys the birds
Britain’s army chief fears war may come sooner than anyone thinks
Could the army cope without more money and troops?