Britain's Labour Party gathers after a rocky start in government and a scandal over clothes
This should be a time of celebration for Britain’s Labour Party
LONDON (AP) — This should be a time of celebration for Britain’s Labour Party, which opens its annual conference Sunday less than three months after winning power in a landslide after 14 years in opposition.
But it’s no victory lap for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
His government is facing a reckoning with a battered economy and an electorate impatient for change. The mood among Labour members gathering in the northwest England city of Liverpool has been further dampened by a tempest over Starmer’s acceptance of freebies at a time when the millions of people are struggling with the cost of living.
Starmer insists he followed the rules when he took clothes and designer eyeglasses from Waheed Alli, a media entrepreneur and longtime Labour donor. But after days of negative headlines, the party now says Starmer won’t accept any more free outfits.
