[Qingyi Current Affairs] The current priorities of the new Labour Party leader Shi Jixian outside the fight against the epidemic

In early April, Keir Starmer defeated Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy to become the new leader of the British Labour Party, announcing the official end of the Jeremy Corbyn era. At a critical juncture in the country, Shi Jixian is in charge of the commander-in-chief. Besides supervising the government's fight against the epidemic, what else does Shi Jixian have to do in the case? Where will this professional and pragmatic barrister take Labour?

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In the process of running for leadership, Shi Jixian and several other candidates emphasized that the current problem of the Labour Party is to maintain unity within the party, so as to regain its lost ground in the next general election. In fact, since Hao Erbin began to lead the Labour Party in 2015, party elders and different regional forces have complained about his far-left policy, but Hao Erbin has no intention to calm the restlessness in the party, and only wants to take the looming wave of socialism. Downing Street. At the same time, the Labour Party has been criticized in recent years for anti-Semitism within the party, which has directly intensified the struggle within the party. On the weekend when Shi Jixian was elected party leader, the media and social media broke out an internal Labour Party investigation report, supporting the serious division within the party caused by anti-Semitism. The report pointed out that, during Holbin's tenure, the Labour Party not only failed to properly handle complaints, but even more vicious words among party members, and some privately expressed their hope that the Labour Party would lose the election. Shi Jixian naturally realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately requested an independent investigation of the report. In addition, he also held a video conference with several Jewish leaders in the UK recently, listing the measures to suppress anti-Semitism in the future, and solemnly apologized to the Jewish community for the shortcomings of the Labour Party in the past few years. The move was praised by Jewish leaders, who said Shi Jixian had done more in four days than his predecessor had done in four years.

Reference "Labour's leaked report is a major blow for 'party unity' – Keir Starmer has his work cut out" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/13/labour-leaked-report-party-unity -keir-starmer-corbyn-faction#maincontent

See "Jewish leaders praise Keir Starmer for pledges on Labour antisemitism" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/07/jewish-leaders-praise-keir-starmer-for-pledges-on-labour-antisemitism

In addition to dealing with the issue of anti-Semitism, Shi Jixian also obviously worked hard in the shadow cabinet candidates. Shi Jixian knows that even though the Labour Party has changed its regime, the left-wing forces in the party, including Hao Erbin's former supporters, must hope to make a comeback. Therefore, Shi Jixian reserved the post of shadow education minister to Lang Baili, who is regarded as Hao Erbin's "heir", while leftists such as Alex Sobel and Lloyd Russell-Moyle will also be in charge of tourism and natural environment affairs respectively. Shi Jixian also allocated three important positions in the party to party members in the north, Wales and Scotland, and the intention to strengthen unity is very obvious. Former party leader Ed Miliband has also returned to the cabinet to run business, energy and industry, while Liz Kendall, who is close to the middle, will become social welfare secretary. Finally, Shi Jixian appointed Nandi, the underdog who had performed well in the leadership race, as shadow foreign secretary. It is undeniable that this shadow cabinet list can be said to be stable, fully taking into account the interests of different factions in the party, and showing Shi Jixian's means and determination to reorganize the unity within the party.

Refer to "The Guardian view on Keir Starmer: a serious politician" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/06/the-guardian-view-on-keir-starmer-a-serious-politician

Speaking of fighting the epidemic, the Labour Party as an opposition party naturally has an important role. Earlier, Shi Jixian requested that the parliament be reopened through a video conference, so that members of the parliament could monitor government decisions in a timely manner, and at the same time strive for the exposure and voice of the opposition party . He also sent an open letter to Prime Minister Dominic Raab, asking the government to openly and transparently explain the anti-epidemic measures to the people, including clarifying when the lockdown will end. Of course, Shi Jixian must be careful when considering when to support and oppose the government's response to the epidemic and whether to join the recently rumored Government of National Unity, in order to establish the best image of the opposition party for Labour. However, the latest polls show that the support of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Johnson is still high, so the Labour Party must not hope to turn around in one epidemic , and must understand the importance of deep cultivation.

Reference "Coronavirus: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wants lockdown exit strategy revealed this week" https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-labour-leader-sir-keir-starmer-wants-lockdown-exit-strategy-revealed -this-week-11973322

See "To the despair of his opponents, Boris Johnson is more popular than ever" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/14/despair-opponents-boris-johnson-popular-ever/

Finally, in addition to paying attention to the current epidemic, the Labour Party led by Shi Jixian also needs to provide the British people with a blueprint for the "post-coronavirus era", especially how the country's economy will recover . On the other hand, Prime Minister Johnson had promised to negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the EU by the end of 2020, but due to the impact of the epidemic, the dead line of negotiations is believed to be delayed. That would give Shih enough time to sketch out a Labour proposal that would force the Conservatives to make maximum concessions in areas such as the environment and labour benefits. In terms of elections, although the next general election will be held in 2024, the postponed local elections and mayoral elections will be staged next year, and the Labour Party will strive to maintain the position of mayor of London . This will be a major test for Shi Jixian, everyone will wait and see.

Author: heisenberg

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