Why Starmer will champion a smarter state

The Ukraine crisis has been the making of Keir Starmer .

Commentators liken him to 2008-era Gordon Brown or even Winston Churchill .

Downing Street does, however, intend to use the political momentum that it suddenly enjoys.

Starmer will seek to do so this week with an “intervention” on state reform.

Labour is expanding the state in numerous directions, renationalising the railways, launching GB Energy , reviving industrial strategy and expanding workers’ rights.

At heart, the centre left has the greatest interest in the state working well precisely because it believes in it.

Whether Starmer can achieve this will now be a defining test of his premiership.