Sir Keir Starmer 

• ARGUABLY the single biggest issue in our Holborn and St Pancras constituency throughout Sir Keir Starmer’s five years’ tenure has been HS2.

While he’s always made the right noises to us locals, on the national stage he’s been notably silent.

The excellent Conservative journalist Danny Finkelstein has recently written two columns of advice to Sir Keir and they’ve been remarkably constructive.

In his August 25 piece* he described Sir Keir as a diligent, responsible, honourable, and intelligent man but an enigma who’s failed to project personal, creative, imagination.

His view of successful political leaders is that: “…the best, most powerful creative ideas and personalities aren’t fake. They are true to their originator”.

Sir Keir has an opportunity on September 13 to show a personal, passionate, conviction by participating in the backbench business debate in the Commons inspired by 155,000 people who petitioned to “Stop work on HS2 immediately… and repeal the legislation”.

It’s my belief that Sir Keir is opposed to the wretched black hole that is the HS2 railway, as are the majority of the electorate, but that he’s been hidebound by the unions into not coming out against it.

In the forthcoming autumn spending review it’s widely rumoured that at the very least the HS2 route to Leeds and Sheffield will be confirmed as dead. The tissue paper of levelling up and commercial viability will be blown away.

I suggest that now would be a very good time for Sir Keir to reveal to the country his true colours on HS2.

PAUL BRAITHWAITE
Bartholomew Villas, NW5
*Danny Finkelstein’s Times column on August 25:
Keir Starmer is still an enigma and that’s a problem