Annual conference Understanding Katie McQuater, Liam Kay and Ben Bold report Labour leader Keir Starmer believes it would be a huge mistake for the UK to go back to where we started Returning to the status quo after Covid-19 would be a huge political mistake, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said. The UK is at a profound moment, said Starmer, speaking during an interview with BritainThinks co-founder Deborah Mattinson. Most people are experiencing the very human sense of seeking a return to normality in terms of human contact, he added. Theres an emotional, human sense of going back to normal. However, he said: Its really important that we dont go back to business as usual. Weve been out on a Thursday night clapping for keyworkers who have been underpaid and undervalued for a very long time. Labour must now conjure up a post-World War II moment of change, he added, citing the UKs high death toll. Although I do think the indecision and slowness of the prime minister played a huge part, underpinning it was the structural inequality, the failing of the economy, the under-funding of public services and the fragility of much of the infrastructure and we cant go back to that, said Starmer. If all we aspire to do is somehow go back to where we started, its a huge, huge political mistake. He added: The Labour Party only really wins when we glimpse the future and persuade people that the future can be different, but better. In my view, thats what we need to do heading into 2024. Discussing Labours efforts to re-engage voters post-2019, Starmer said the party needed to identify a winning coalition of groups of voters that share the partys values and aspirations. He said: I think the art and skill is to find the common ground between different groups. Where are the reference points? What are the values and where might they meet? When you take the difficult issues and talk them through, there are sometimes meeting points you didnt expect to be there. Evidence is hugely important to Starmer, but while the best evidence is probably an election that tells you in pretty stark terms where youre at, he said the most interesting focus groups are those following a particular group of people over a period of time. I think what it tells you is where people are actually at, rather than making assumptions and where is the common ground that you can use because where people are at may not be in politics where you think you need to get to. If you dont know where people are at, theres no way of bridging to them. He also discussed a series of Zoom calls he held with former voters after becoming leader. People came on screen and were looking at me to see if I was listening. They wanted to know Whats this fella like? Do you think hes actually listening? Thats not what I expected, but it was pretty profound. As much as I wanted to know what they think, they wanted to know that I was listening. 16 Impact ISSUE 33 2021_pp16-21_Conference .indd 16 26/03/2021 09:56