The “standout moment” of Labour’s election campaign happened “probably by accident” last week – and at a Taylor Swift concert, a party insider has told Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
On this week’s episode, ex-Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika said the “beautiful shot” of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria at a Wembley show on Swift’s Eras Tour was the highlight of Labour’s election campaign so far.
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Hazarika said: “I think the standout moment for the Labour campaign for me happened this week, probably by accident, not choreographed.”
“The photo of the campaign was Keir Starmer with his wife Vic, at that Taylor Swift concert,” – which he posted on X on Friday night.
“It was a beautiful shot.., it was joyful, it was modern, it was optimistic… Taylor Swift in the background wearing red.”
She added: “That is the optic that his team have been trying so hard to push. And then probably someone just took a snap and put it on Twitter and then that’s captured it.”
But Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby believes the photo was “more choreographed than that”, as parties agonise over their image ahead of the UK general election on 4 July.
“It was a really genuinely nice photo of the two of them… but I think that was a couple of things going on there,” she said.
Pic: PA
There had been “a lot of press in recent days” about why Victoria Starmer “had not been on the campaign trail,” she added, pointing out Sir Keir keeps details about his family private, including his children’s names.
“So I think maybe there was something about just reminding everyone that he is happily married to Vic… just kind of inserting her in a way that was really low-key, but very, clear.”
The other reason may have been to “show a different side of him”, Rigby added, as on camera he “turns into a more robotic politician”.
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She said Sir Keir has previously said: “You can’t see me with my family. If you could see me, you would see a massively different side of me.”
The former leader of the Scottish Tories Ruth Davidson said: “You’re right about how relaxed he looks, that that’s one of the things that made it. But the other thing is the body language is great and not forced.”
But he comes across on TV as “boring as sin” and “passionless”, Davidson added.
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She and Beth Rigby both said Labour has a problem if Sir Keir ends up being like the former PM Theresa May, “and nobody sees what people who know him [see]”.
Email Beth, Ruth, and Ayesha at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.