Finchey and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman has strongly defended the perfomance of Keir Starmer’s government, insisting Labour had “broadly got it right” in relation to policies around Israel.
But in a fascinating conversation with Board of Deputies vice-chair Adrian Cohen at the Limmud Festival, the Justice Minister, who was speaking in a personal capacity said the goverment are “yet to tell a convincing story on what we are doing and why it is we are doing it”.
Sackman, whose election victory in the north London seat in July confirmed strong communal backing once again for Labour under Starmer, said the government was operating in an “incredibly challenging period” in the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas attack.
But she accepted that in politics “storytelling and comms (communications) is really important”.
“If things are not being communicated, whether to our Jewish communty or to the wider community, then that’s on us for not being good enough strorytellers, and I think it that regard the government can improve,” she told the packed audience for Monday’s session in Birmingham.
Packed hall for Sarah Sackman MP session at Limmud
But she praised the Prime Minister’s own trackrecord for being able to sell a convincing political pitch to the country, noting he had managed to turn Labour’s catastrophic 2019 election defeat into the 2024 landslide victory at the July general election.
“That doesn’t happen by accident,” Sackman observed.
“That happens by winning the arguement, both internally within the party, and then turning outwards to win over the public.”
Starmer, she observed, “now has a job to do in shifting gear” to sell the story of what it was going in offfice to the general public.
During a riveting one hour long session, Cohen referenced last weekend’s Jewish News report which suggested the government was facing widespread calls to do better from leading figures within the Jewish community. SPECIAL REPORT ‘Must Do Better!’ The community’s verdict on the Starmer government so far
“I think the situation in the Middle East is incredibly challenging,” said Sackman, who was made Solicitor General on the night she was elected, following a phone call from Starmer’s ex chief of staff Sue Gray to alert her to the news, she revealed.
“The events of October 7 are the worst in my life time as a Jew,” continued Sackman. ” I think that view is shared by many.
“We have been living since permanently thinking about the hostages, but also the loss of life that is taking place in Gaza and across the Middle East ever since.
“I think we have all been living in a state of absolute anguish ever since.”
But in terms of its policies over the past six months, Sackman added:”I think the government had broadly got it right.
“I think it’s got it right in terms of calling for an immediate return of the hostages, in terms of caling for an immediate ceasefire.
“I think it’s got it right on calling for the Israeli goverment to increase the amount of aid going into Gaza, and reminding the world that we need to get back to a position where we can start reinvigorating a peace process towards a two state soloution, which is the only soloution that is going to bring about a resultion in the Middle East.”
Limmud Memorial Room for those killed on October 7th and after
Sackman also noted that the community did not speak with one voice towards Israel.
“It’s difficult, we are not a monolith, the community thinks lots of different things,” she said.
“The community has really quite strong opinions on where it stands and how it feels about the Netanyahu government
“But equally the support and people’s connection to Israel has also increased since October 7.
“Those two things can be things that both hold true in our minds at the same time.
“I can hold the opinion that I want the hostages out yesterday and that has to be unconditional, and a matter of urgency, and I want the government to be doing all it can …. I know that work is happening.
“And I can also want to see an end to the suffering in Gaza and more aid getting to Palestinians. Those two things … it is incredibly complicated.”
Sackman suggested the government was already proving itself to be “very strong on working to combat antisemtism at home.”
“Whether that’s increasing funding for the CST, who I think are doing an amazing job, not least here at the Limmud Festival, in funding and mandating Holocaust education, but also in terms of urging a cross government approach to dealing with antisemtism,” she said.
“That to me speaks of a government that understands the concerns of the community.
“It doesn’t mean we are all going to agree. It doesn’t mean we are all going to become big supporters of this government.
“But fundementally, Does the Labour government have the backs of the Jewish community?
“I think the answer is a resounding ‘yes’”.
Adrian Cohen and Sarah Sackman
Sackman also insisted some of the criticism directed at the Starmer government more generally had been unfair, with some of the media commentariat already deciding “this government has already run out of road six months in. ”
She added:”I utterly, utterly reject that.
But interestingly, Sackman did appear to call for her own party to improve the way it delivered its message to the nation, adding that while the first six months had not all be “plain sailing” there had already been significant advances with the launch of GB Energy, legislation on workers rights, and with rental reforms.
She also said that having entered the justice arena, the previous government had left “an absolutel scandal of a situation” includng over-flowing prisons which amounted to a “dereliction of duty”.
“I’m not going to make any apologies for not fixing things on day one, with the economy the state it was in,” she added.
“But I am hopefully about the potential of government to bring about change.
“But we’ve got to be long-termist, and we need the country to stick with us and not give up from day one.”
She then added:”I think that part of our job is to create mood music.
“Mood music in which people themselves feel themselves to be part of something bigger than themselves. ”
Calling for an improvement in the way the public learned of what a Starmer government is doing, Sackman said:”I know this government is doing fantastic things, and yet we are yet to tell a convincing story on what it is we are doing and why we are doing it and it the long run tgat isa going to benefit the British people”.
Sarah Sackman with Keir Starmer at Brent Cross Town
The proudly Jewish MP also dismissed claims that one problem with the government was that it was stuffed with too many lawyers at the top, and not enough political expertise.
“A good lawyer knows how to build an argument,” said Sackman, who is a barrister herself, with extensive knowledge on planning law.
” Keir Starmer managed to take the Labout Party for the nadeer it was in, its worst ever election result sibce the 1930s to a landslide victory in 2024.
“That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens by winning the argument, both internally within the party, and then turning outwards to win over the public.
“I think he has a job to do in shifting gear.
“But if we can find the storytellers within our party and we have them, we have a number of them, If we can find that narrative I think this government can be hugely hugely successful”.
Dear Sarah, can I check this is still your number -best wishes Sue
keep phone on you, pM is going to call you in the hour and appoint you are solicitor general
googled ‘what does the solicitor general do?’ she reassured me and said the great H Harm had been solicitor gen under last govet and would be my mentor
they say you campaign on poetry and you govern on prose. I still reflect and pinch myself, on if some commentators had been right we’d have been having a genwral election round about now.
I could have been out doorknocking, si really should thank Mr Sunak for caling the election when he did.
I am going to challlenge the premise of the Question. Call me naieve… but I am really optimistic and pretty bullish about the state of affairs.
The reason I say that, is this. I think one of the biggest at the last general election, wasn’t my opposition, but I think it was this kind of counsel of despair that in the UK and democtatic politics generally we had lost the ability to have achieved social change.
Whether you want to hook it on a symbol such as HS2 -this country’s inability to build things, to run things properly. Where did we lose our mojo along the way and way can’t poiticians get their act together.
One of the things I saw happen on July was that in the same way the British public sent a message about the poliyics it had rejected in December 2019, in July 2024 the british public sent a tired government absolutely packing. A tired government that had run out of road, that was morally bankrupt and had led this country into a massive ecominic culdesac while running our public services into the ground.
What’s kind of dispiriting is the way the commentariat has decided this government has already run out of road six months in. I utterly, utterly reject that.
That’s not to say things have been plain sailing, but I can tell you the government has been really busy. Its set up GB Energy, we’ve introduced legistaltion on workers rights which will change the power dynamic and balance for working people in this country, we’ve introduced once in a general rental reforms ..
In the area I an working in jsutice, we inherited an absolute scandal of a situation, where day one of walking into the MoJ the Lord Chancellor finds that our prisons are literally at bursting point. What a derecliction of duty. I can tell you we are fixing that.
I’m not going to make any apologies for not fixing things on day one, with the economy the state it was in. But I am hopefully about the potential of government to bring about change. But we’ve got to be loig-termist, and we need the government to stick with us and not give up from day one.
Ignore the noise, ignore the commentariat.
I think the situation in the ME is incredibly challenging. The events of October 7 are the worst in my life time as a Jew. I think that view is shared by many. We have been living since permanently thinking about the hostages, but also the loss of life that is taking place in Gaza and across the ME ever since. I think we have all been living in a state of absolute anguish ever since.
I think the government had broadly got it right. I think it’s got it right in terms of calling for an immediate return of the hostages, in terms of caling for an immediate ceasefire, i think its got it right on calling for the Israeli goverment to increase the amount of aid going into Gaza, and reminding the world that we need to get back to a position where we can start reinvigotaring a peace process towards a two state soloution, which is the obly soloution that is going to bring about a resultion in the Middle East
But I thik in terms of where the community stands – its difficult, we are not a monolith, the community thinks lots of different things. The community has really quite strong opinions on where it stands and how it feels about the Netanyahu government
But equally the support and people’s connection to Israel has also incresed since Oct 7. Those two things can be things that we hold true in our mind at the same time.
I can hold the opinion that I want the hostages out yesterday and that has to be unconditional, and a matter of urgency and I want the government to be doing all it can, and I know that work is happening.
And I can also want to see an end to the suffering in Gaza and more aid getting to Palestinians. Those two things … it is incredibly complicated.
As well as being an honest broker with regards to the Middle East, I think the government has been very strong on working to combat antisemtism at home.
Whether that’s increasing funding for the CST, who I think are doing an amazing job, not least here at the Limmud Festival.I n funding and mandating Holocaust education, but also in terms of urging a cross government approach to dealing with antisemtism.
That to me speaks of a government that understamds the concerns of the government. It doesn’;t mean we are all going to agree. It doesn’t mean we are all going to become big spuuorters of this government. But fundementally, does the Labour government have the backs of the Jewish community? I think the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ .
AC – access has been great with this govt. yet somehow in wider Jewish community isn’t always appreciated
I do think politicians and political eaders have a job as storytellers. I think that is part of the craft of being a politician. I think that part of our job is to create mood music. Mood music in which people themselves feel themselves to be part of something bigger than themselves.
What is the socisl contract? why do we all pay our taxes? Because we are part of a community. We understand that one day we might need that…we want to know the state is there to support us.
Strytelling and comms is really important. It is what politics is. If things are not being communicated, whether to our Jewish communty or to the wider community, then thats on us for not being good enough strorytellers, and I think it that regard the government can improve.
Because I know this government is doing fantastic things, and yet we are yet to tell a convincing story on what it is we are doing and why we are doing it and it the long run tgat isa going to benefit the British people.
Coming back to being a lawyer, yes its important not to be too lawyers -but a good lawyer knows how to build an argument. And Keir Starmer managed to take the Labout Party for the nadeer it was in, its worst ever election result sibce the 1930s to a landslide victory in 2024. That doesn;t happen by accident. That happens by winning the arguyment, both internally within the party, and then turning outwards to win over the public.
I think he has a job to do in shifting gear. But if we can find the storytellers within our aprty, and we have them, we have anumber of them If we can find that narrative I think this government can be hugely hugely successful.
But I do think, we are opeating in a really challenging envoirnmenr. Not just because we inherited an econmony, crumbomg prisons, becauseo f you look intenatiolvll , social deomcrat peogrssive govt are gaving tough time
syteoy telling. We have to tell a stroy which binds not just our own community, but lots of other communities together. Thats the job of government.
