Keir Starmer has been formally censured by his old Socialist Lawyer group after a motion passed at this week’s AGM accused him of being “demonstrably not a socialist”. The disavowing will have particularly hurt given Starmer was the secretary of the left-wing group prior to becoming DPP. Yet more proof that, in Starmer’s words, the “vast majority” of Labour members back his leadership…

The motion that ended up passing decreed that while they couldn’t technically expel him as he is no longer a member, they have “deep concern” with “the appalling policy positions that Sir Keir Starmer QC has adopted in his role as leader of the Labour party”, including:

• Whipping MPs to abstain on the Covert Human Intelligence Sources Bill
• Abandoning his election pledge of committing to migrants’ rights
• Silencing pro-Palestinian voices
• Failing to support the trade union movement (especially the National Education Union)
• Failing to take any or sufficient action against well-documented anti-black and Muslim racism
• Not taking action against Transphobic Labour MPs

They were therefore left with no option other than to ban Sir Keir from ever rejoining. To Guido it seems like only yesterday Starmer was using the Socialist Lawyer’s magazine to argue all immigration controls are racist, and for “socialist self-management of the economy” by trade unions. And only last year that he said he wanted to replace capitalism. To Sir Keir it must feel like a lifetime ago…