The broken English heart, grace amongst rivals, Starmer’s greeting in Kyiv and the smile inside a bin

Keir Starmer has decided to spend his final day as leader of the British Labour Party in Kyiv: he arrived yesterday morning and must have watched the England v Argentina match on the train to the Ukrainian capital; it was there that his heart was broken by the missed World Cup, which also robbed him of the chance the desire, to travel to America one last time as Prime Minister, to watch the final and return overnight, rushing to present himself to King Charles, resign and hand over the reins to his successor, Andy Burnham. Kyiv was in turmoil yesterday; his ally and friend Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the midst of a painful reshuffle, but he still found time for hugs, thanks and the honour – the Order of Freedom – because the United Kingdom is a special ally, a reliable ally. That Starmer, a European leader emerging humiliated from a bitter internal political battle, should choose to make solidarity with the Ukrainians his final act in government – standing alongside Zelensky to say ‘thank you, you have changed everything: how we defend ourselves, how we resist, how we live for and in freedom’ – is something unique and delightfully British.

In these sombre hours, with hearts broken over football and more besides, there was another delightfully British rarity in the House of Commons on Wednesday, during Starmer’s final Question Time. The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch – who is increasingly appreciated even by the Conservatives themselves, who had originally put her there as a stopgap following endless changes at the party’s helm – was witty and gracious in her farewell to the Prime Minister and his family.

Badenoch displayed a respectful humanity that is no longer seen anywhere, certainly not in parliaments, and Starmer did the same, recalling the private messages the Leader of the Opposition had sent him when his home had been attacked (by the Russians) and when his brother had died of cancer, and thanking her for reminding him that politicians’ families often pay a price that is not theirs to bear simply because they are wives, husbands, parents and children. Badenoch and Starmer never held back; the ritual of Question Time calls for barbs and outcries, outcries and barbs, but in those few minutes they put everything into perspective: one can be rivals, disagree on every single idea, project or vision, and yet find institutional grace at the right moment, personal kindness too, and indeed, for once – for the last time – play on the same side, reserving the barbs and shouts for the outgoing Nigel Farage, their common rival. Badenoch has called for a televised debate ahead of the by-election in Clacton-on-Sea between the nationalist leader Farage and his sole challenger, Count Binface – the candidate in a space suit with a rubbish bin over his face – who, in a poll published yesterday, is polling at 52 per cent against Farage’s 45 per cent. ‘We want to see them debate on TV,’ said the Conservative leader; ‘Do make sure you put your vote in the bin,’ said the outgoing Labour Prime Minister, offering his endorsement, whilst Binface commented on X about their exchange: ‘I’m getting more mentions than Farage and I haven’t even made it to the Commons yet.’ The out-of-this-world candidate who undermines Farage’s anti-establishment rhetoric – because he’s even more anti-establishment than Farage and even steals his irony, his mocking smile, his videos, his memes and his brazenness – is another unique and delightfully British phenomenon: the remedy for so many disappointments, the laugh you didn’t expect after all those footballers and fans in tears, the strength that defuses the sense of inevitability that has accompanied Farage’s rise thus far. On Monday, a new chapter begins for the United Kingdom: a new Prime Minister, a new government. Yet this country, with its patched-up heart, has delivered its final, rare and joyful lessons – set to the rhythm of the Beatles and Oasis – of looking back without anger, and also looking ahead.