Reactions 60. The NHS Doesn't Have Time for a Honeymoon Period

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“… there’s nothing pragmatic about watching an emergency unfold and failing to take action.”

If you listen to as many political podcasts as I do, you’ll have heard a lot of people talking about Keir Starmer’s “honeymoon period”. Any new Prime Minister benefits from an initial wave of support after the excitement of an election campaign, and after 14 long years of Tory leadership, a lot of people were ready for a change. So when Starmer and his team arrived in 10 Downing Street, they represented something positive to many people. 

During the honeymoon period for a new leader, they’ll be thought of favourably and might avoid some of the scrutiny that comes later in their premiership. The length of the period enjoyed by a new Prime Minister can depend on many things; their handling of public crises, their avoidance of scandal, or their ability to enact a new agenda people feel is impacting their lives in positive ways. 

In political circles, a lot of people are talking about how Starmer is doing; about how he’s perceived and what this means for his relationship with the public. Predictably, there are differences of opinion, and if you google “Starmer honeymoon period” you’ll see exactly what I mean. Publications supportive of him are brimming with compliments on his handling of the recent far-right riots, while others that are critical and unsupportive of Labour have declared that the honeymoon period is already over, 6 weeks in. 

But while it’s interesting to pay attention to the discourse in our media outlets, I always find it more illuminating to hear what normal people are saying online. After all, while media publications have an editorial line and political stance, the general public tend to just say what they think. Interestingly, even amongst those who consider themselves to be politically progressive, two separate schools of thought seem to be emerging, so today I thought I’d explain to you what I’m hearing.