There is now little prospect of the growth Labour promised. With Reform nipping at his heels, Starmer must offer protection to the British people

If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, say goodnight.

The rhyme we learned hiking as a family through Yellowstone national park last summer is meant as a cheery reminder of how not to get eaten, if you meet a bear. Brown bears are best appeased by playing dead; black bears need to know this will hurt them more than it hurts you; and luckily there aren’t any polar bears in Yellowstone, because nothing deters them.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist

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