Keir warned his plan to win support with documentary will backfire: ‘Months to recover!’
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Amid the fallout from the opposition party’s dismal performance in the “Super Thursday” elections earlier this month, Sir Keir is reportedly planning to star in a behind-the-scenes programme. But Conservative peer Daniel Finkelstein has issued a cross-party warning to Sir Keir not to go down the route which landed the Tories in a mess.
He reminded him that when the Conservative Party was in opposition it allowed camera crews to document the day-to-day running and it “didn’t help” its leader William Hague.
Lord Finkelstein tweeted: “We did this. Twice. It was good TV but it didn’t help William Hague.
“It also gave away our techniques for PMQs and it took months to recover in the House.”
BBC Two’s “How to be Leader of the Opposition” followed Mr Hague around as he battled on in the job which saw him achieve “record levels of unpopularity”.
According to The Times, Sir Keir is in talks with a production company about the proposed project.
Broadcasters have reportedly been approached to see if they would be interested in airing the programme.
According to reports, Labour sources believe the fly-on-the-wall documentary could show a different side of the opposition leader which voters may find appealing.
Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair has said Sir Keir is “struggling to break through with the public”.
This was made clear in the elections which saw Hartlepool turn from red to blue in a by-election which gave the Tories their first win in the constituency since it was created in 1974.
Labour also lost control of multiple councils in the ballot a year after Sir Keir replaced Jeremy Corbyn.
The election nightmare continued for Sir Keir, 58, in the days after the results were announced as he came under fire for his handling of the losses.
He fired Angela Rayner as the party’s chair and national campaign coordinator, sparking outrage from Labour MPs and voters.
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The move and uproar ultimately led to his authority being weakened.
A chaotic reshuffle followed as the party was gripped by post-election rancour.
Labour sources told The Times talks about a documentary are underway, but insisted the project was in its early days.
An official said: “It isn’t correct there is anything planned or in the pipeline.”
Meanwhile the Labour leader is preparing to bare all for Piers Morgan in an interview about his childhood, law career and leading the Labour party.
The hour-long episode of Life Stories is due to be filmed next month and is expected to air on ITV in the coming months.
It will be the first interview with a party leader on Life Stories since Mr Morgan interviewed Gordon Brown when he was prime minister in 2010.
Sir Keir is expected to touch on his experience growing up in Surrey and his current family life with his wife Victoria and two young children.
He will also elaborate on his transition from law to politics and his path to leading the Labour party.
Mr Morgan said: “It’s very unusual for party political leaders to submit themselves to such lengthy personal interviews and I am delighted that Sir Keir has agreed to talk to me about his fascinating life.
“It promises to be a memorable and very revealing Life Stories show.”
ITV’s head of entertainment, Katie Rawcliffe, said: “Sir Keir Starmer promises to be a real treat for our ITV audience.”
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