In opposition, Sir Keir Starmer was not one for pulling rabbits out of hats.
The Labour leader promised a politics which "treads more lightly on people's lives", pointing those who want "politics as a pantomime" to Nigel Farage in Clacton.
In government, the new prime minister has started as he means to go on, with his first King's Speech containing few surprises.
Kicking off a promised decade of national renewal, Sir Keir set out plans to unlock housing and infrastructure building and restore trust in British institutions.
And while he stressed the importance of "determined, patient work and serious solutions", he appeared all too aware of the challenge Reform and the Tories at the next election will bring.
"The snake oil charm of populism may sound seductive, but it drives us into the dead end of further division and greater disappointment," he warned.
