Starmer has a second shot at making a good first impression. He mustn't waste it | Martin Kettle

Those who are already writing off the Labour leader are remarkably premature, but the challenges ahead are immense

David Cameron writes in his memoirs that two days in the calendar matter more for a leader of the opposition than all the others. One is the date of the leader’s autumn party conference speech, which gives a rare chance to stand in the televised spotlight and tell the country what you stand for. The other is the spring local elections day, which gives the country the equally rare chance to say if it likes what it sees and hears.

The ghostly strangeness of Keir Starmer’s first year as leader of the Labour party is reflected in the fact that in the 12 months since he succeeded Jeremy Corbyn neither of these two normally crucial opportunities for an opposition politician has come his way. The first lockdown meant that last year’s local elections were postponed, while the continuing of the pandemic meant last year’s party conference season was effectively scrapped too.

Related: It should be Super Thursday for local elections but London still holds the reins | Rafael Behr

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist

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