Back in July, Labour seemed relatively secure as they started in office with a massive majority and the endorsement of the nation. From the outset, Keir Starmer, his ministers and advisors, knew full well that the right-leaning press and media would be gunning for them, looking to highlight their slightest error, perceived or factual – and so it proved. The Telegraph and Mail, among others, spouted dire warnings of doom and disaster in an onslaught that was sometimes brutal and biased, though Labour’s hierarchy would have been well-briefed to deal with the bashings. However, even loyal Labour supporters and left-wing papers like The Guardian became critical in the furore over removing the winter fuel allowance, the suspension of seven Labour MPs who voted against the government in calling for the abolition of the two-child benefit limit, the (not-unexpected) resignation of Rosie Duffield MP, and the firing in October of Starmer’s chief of staff, Sue Gray. There has also been disaffection from high-profile Labour voters like Feargal Sharkey, who organised a national march for clean water on 3 November after the government failed to move quickly in tackling corrupt water companies. And the new government appeared not to have learned from the way in which previous Conservative excesses contributed to their eventual downfall: the PPE millions given by Tory ministers to their mates during the covid crisis, Boris Johnson’s acceptance of luxury holidays and the £112,000 refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, and the “Partygate” and “cash for questions” scandals. The Tory list of shame and sleaze exceeds anything Labour frontbenchers have done to date, such as the “passes for glasses” row over Starmer’s acceptance of designer glasses and Taylor Swift tickets (he has since repaid £6000), plus other freebies donated to him and other Labour ministers by Lord Waheed Alli. But accusations of sleaze, big or small, can stick. Rishi Sunak became prime minister with a promise to bring integrity, professionalism and accountability to high office. It didn’t work out for him. Starmer took the helm with similar high ideals, but he and his crew need to take heed of the turning tide if they are to avoid even stormier waters.