On Monday, Keir Starmer made his first big speech of the year, which was widely reported as an excoriating attack on the Prime Minister's flawed response to the Covid crisis. Beyond his comments on the pandemic, though, Starmer was also making a streetwise move to set his party up for strong case in future elections. In this episode of the New Statesman podcast, Stephen Bush, Anoosh Chakelian and Ailbhe Rea discuss what Keir Starmer was actually trying to say. Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on whether lockdown restrictions need tightening - are the British public really to blame for rising cases, as the Government claims?Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our weekly global affairs show World ReviewIf you are a New Statesman digital subscriber you can get ad-free access to this podcast by visiting newstatesman.com/nssubscribers.We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. You can follow Stephen Bush on twitter @stephenkb. Anoosh Chakelian is @Anoosh_C and Ailbhe Rea is @PronouncedAlva.Topics discussed in this episodeSir Keir Starmer speechLabour partyCoronavirus / Covid 19Covid vaccineFurloughLockdownFamilyCouncil taxBenefitsBusinessUK lockdown restrictionsHospitalsPeople mentioned in this episodeSir Keir StarmerBoris Johnson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.