Opinion: Starmer's move against Palestinian refugees highlights collapse of liberal centre

They say you can see the world in a grain of sand. 

In some cases, you can indeed view a global shift in ideology through the lens of a single incident. Take British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent response to a Palestinian family who came to the UK using a refugee scheme designed for Ukrainians.

Starmer was outraged. He went so far as to unreservedly agree with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch when she raised the case in the Commons. Prime ministers almost never give opposition leaders this kind of unqualified endorsement at the dispatch box.

Both Starmer and Badenoch were criticising the judge who upheld the Palestinians’ case. For this attack on the judiciary, the chief justice, Baroness Sue Carr, slapped them both down, saying such criticism undermined the independence of the courts. 

Read more: Starmer's move against Palestinian refugees highlights collapse of liberal centre Opinion by John Rees