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Moral virtue / The insufferable saintliness of Labour MPs

21 0
28.04.2026

It is a part of the human lot that we lug about feelings of doubt, regret and guilt. We carry our sins about like suitcases. Well, okay, maybe not quite all of us. Contrary to both scripture and psychology, there are people who struggle under a quite different burden – the sheer moral goodness of their spotless souls. I’m talking, of course, about Labour MPs.

The insufferable moral superiority of Labour – and indeed many progressives of all stripes – can be very hard to digest for the vast remainder of flawed humanity. The shining ethical beacon that is Keir Starmer is almost too bright to behold with the mortal eye. This is a man whose list of stains – from appointing Peter Mandelson to sacking everybody in sight for his own mistakes – now stand exposed, to everybody except himself. But has this taken the gleam off his halo?

The shining ethical beacon that is Keir Starmer is almost too bright to behold with the mortal eye

The shining ethical beacon that is Keir Starmer is almost too bright to behold with the mortal eye

No, he is still pointing the finger at other people’s moral failings. His St George’s Day sermon last week saw him chuntering, ‘I know what the flag of St George stands for. It stands for decency over division. Unity over hate. And a country where........

© The Spectator