The U-turns keep coming – but Starmer’s allies insist they’re his best hope of revival

Prime minister wants cabinet ministers to move on from policies that have tanked with voters

Before the 2015 UK election, the Australian political expert Lynton Crosby devised a strategy for the Tories that became known as scraping the barnacles off the boat" - shedding unpopular policies that hindered the party's electoral appeal.

Instead, the party focused on core issues it believed would help win over floating voters: the economy, welfare, the strength of David Cameron (and weakness of Ed Miliband) and immigration. Everything else was deprioritised and the Conservatives stuck to their messages rigidly. It worked.