Starmer’s pragmatic approach to government is proving to be what’s best for the country

Almost three months into his administration, Sir Keir Starmer’s self-styled “British pragmatism” has made a refreshing – indeed invigorating – change from the ideological obsession and grinding search for new culture wars that disfigured politics under the Conservatives.

Such controversies as there have been – notably about the cuts to the winter fuel allowance and policy in the Middle East – have been fact-based and verging on the empirical. The same is true about his efforts to build a personal rapport with Donald Trump, and the apparent willingness to rethink taxing the super-rich non-doms, given reports that the Treasury fears little if any new revenue may be raised by attacking these extremely mobile people.

There is nothing to be gained from taxation that yields no return, and there is even less to be said for failing to get on terms with a man who has a roughly even chance of being the president of the United States of America in about six weeks. The prime minister, in both cases, is placing country firmly before party, even if it means dining on some of his own words as well as Mr Trump’s no doubt excellent banquet.

It is early days still, but some of the contours of the Starmer administration can already be discerned. In personal style, there is the toughness and the frankness that the public deserve – no more mindless boosterism and crackpot cakeism.

The “changed Labour Party”, as Sir Keir likes to term it, is one where the creation of wealth is as important as its redistribution, if not more – and where the world and its often unpleasant personalities must be dealt with as they are, and not as one might wish them to be.

It is a party, once again, concerned with balancing economic efficiency and social justice