A word to the wise, Keir Starmer: whoever advised you to praise Thatcher got it wrong | John McTernan

He's avoiding complacency, but there's little point chasing diehard Tories. Focus on offering everyone else real change

The Labour party's relentless pursuit of Tory switchers is in danger of backfiring badly. Keir Starmer's praise of Margaret Thatcher in the Sunday Telegraph is a double danger - it wins over no wavering voters but risks losing the goodwill of a wide range of his supporters, old and new.

The tactic of a foray into enemy territory" is understandable. Labour's turnaround from losing to a landslide in 2019 to being poised for its own landslide at the next election has been so fast it is in danger of causing political whiplash. But praising Thatcher, however mildly expressed and highly qualified, is a strategic misstep.