For a man not known for personal charisma, there was a shine to Keir Starmer at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, not least after a protester glitter-bombed him as he gave his keynote speech. With pundits arguing he made a coherent case for a Labour government, the party will be hoping to capitalise on the moment with the release of a new T-shirt that reads “Sparkle with Starmer”. The limited-edition and unisex garment, costing £20, is a way to “unleash your inner shimmer and shine”, according to the online shop.
Political merchandise has been a way for parties to raise some much-needed income for decades. In recent times, the US Democratic senator Bernie Sanders has been the most successful at catching the mood with his merch – and relied on it for the kind of small-dollar fundraising that turned the wheels of his campaign. The Tory party has its own intriguing range, including a Thatcher Christmas bauble and a notebook emblazoned with the words “Leaked! Labour’s Plan for the Country”. Inside are 200 blank pages. But most of the inventive, witty merch has come from outside the establishment, thanks to grassroots creativity. Again, Sanders is king of the genre, with T-shirts such as one featuring him hugging cats against an intergalactic background. Sites such as Etsy are full of such politically minded wares. Whether this particular Labour party merch item hits the right note is up for debate. “I think in this modern day of memes and online news, this is probably a positive move for Labour to show light out of what happened to Starmer at the protest,” says Harry Bannister, the person behind an Etsy shop called I Love Mugs, which sells mugs with pictures of Liz Truss against a union jack and the words “In Liz we Truss”, but also ones that say “The only good Tory is a lavatory”. “If anything, it will likely get the Labour party more attention,” they add. Laura Kuo, of the Stafford-based Etsy shop Human Apparel Designs, which sells tote bags that read “Still hate Thatcher” and “Tories: putting the N in cuts”, says: “It is interesting to see that the Labour party itself is on the pulse of what’s trending, or at least they’re trying to [be]. They’re perhaps trying to turn what could be a negative story into a positive one. Which is the kind of smart, up-to-date thinking that is necessary to succeed in modern politics.” While she doesn’t like to see attack adverts, she says: “Stuff like this is harmless and in fact shows that Starmer and his team have a sense of humour and hopefully have the kind of innovative thinking this country needs.” The Labour T-shirt is available for pre-order, with an estimated delivery date of 1 November. Hopefully by then, Starmer will have managed to get the last of the glitter from his hair.