Keir Starmer has returned after several days of silence (possibly for reflection, probably not) and stated on X that ‘My Labour Government will always value the pound in your pocket’.
Its a line that will strike a chord with labour historians but may puzzle people who do not have any pounds in their pocket (plastic) or are aware that a pound these days doesnt get you much.
The line was used by Harold Wilson in a TV broadcast to the nation in November 1967 back in the days when people actually did have paper pound notes in their pockets. Wilson was explaining that though the pound had been devalued against the dollar ($2.80 to $2.40) in fact in the UK people’s pounds were still worth the same. Like many Wilsonian phrases this was perhaps not quite true. It certainly annoyed Tony Benn enough for him record it in his diary.
Leaving aside labour historians and the Harold Wilson fan club (Starmer may be a member) the line may rather puzzle anyone born in the last 50 years or so..
Leave a Reply