Does Starmer understand how privileged he is?

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In his attempt to make his use of a millionaire’s apartment for four weeks, at an estimated value of £20,000, appear reasonable, Starmer has appealed to the sense which any parent would feel of wanting to do the best for his children. Superficially, it’s an entirely reasonable argument. Having a hoard of reporters virtually camped in the street outside someone’s house is clearly disruptive, and any caring parent would want to avoid disruption to study in the approach to a set of key examinations.

There is a problem, though. Whilst a throng of reporters might be a problem more-or-less unique to the leader of the opposition, it isn’t the only form of disruption which can occur. What, for example, of the child trying to study whilst extensive roadworks are taking place in the road outside?  (Or perhaps the building of a new housing estate, a new prison, or a line of pylons; all things which Starmer has told us people must simply put up with.) Is that somehow less disruptive? Perhaps the parents of that child should just have a word with their friend the multi-millionaire and borrow his pad for a month. Except that most of us don’t know any millionaires, let alone the ‘multi-’ variety.

We know that children born to well-educated, wealthy (or at least comparatively so) parents consistently perform better in school, including in examinations, than poorer children. They start life with a whole range of advantages not available to others. In his attempt to portray himself as just a normal, caring parent wanting to do the best for his children, what Starmer has done is to highlight another of those advantages: knowing the right people. He has also managed to show just how different his idea of 'normal' is from the reality facing most parents.