Keir Starmer is finished as Prime Minister, having shown he will even abandon loyal Labour allies, according to Esther McVey. In a scathing opinion piece, the Conservative MP and former minister argues that the list of issues Starmer has mishandled is so extensive that he risks running out of paper to list them.
The resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey last week came because Starmer, as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, lacked sufficient authority to prioritise national security spending over benefits and net zero policies. Healey, a Labour loyalist, had been led to believe he would receive billions of pounds more for the nation's security in the upcoming Defence Investment Plan. However, the funds were not provided, adding to the growing list of Starmer's failures, especially given Jonathan Hall KC, the head of the country's Terrorism watchdog, recently declared illegal immigration a national security threat.
Defence Funding Crisis
With at least 78,000 illegal immigrants arriving since Starmer became Prime Minister—more than the size of the UK's full-time army—the case for increased defence spending has only grown stronger, with extra provision needed for homeland security. The resignation of Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, a former Royal Marine Commando, was equally damaging. Carns is eyeing the Labour leadership, though McVey predicts he will not succeed due to being too right-wing for backbenchers. However, Carns knows Starmer is finished and is positioning himself for a major role in a new regime.
Supposedly, no extra cash was available for defence because the Prime Minister was unable to secure funding from the Treasury. Neither Starmer nor Chancellor Rachel Reeves could find even a small percentage from the ballooning benefit budget or from Ed Miliband's bloated net zero budget to help keep the country safe. This raises questions about who is truly running the country.
By-Elections Loom
Prioritising benefits and net zero over national security could play out in two key by-elections this Thursday in Makerfield and Aberdeen South. In Makerfield, a Labour seat where the MP stood down to give Andy Burnham a free run at the Labour leadership, the vote is about how best to remove Starmer. McVey expects Burnham to win by a comfortable margin, as the right splits its vote, with Restore seemingly motivated to give Reform a bloody nose. However, this is not a vote for Burnham but against Starmer, and Labour backbenchers desperate for a Messiah may misread the result.
The Aberdeen South by-election may focus on energy and job security. A once prosperous area, Labour and the SNP's net zero policies are destroying the oil industry, potentially causing the seat to switch from SNP to Conservatives. McVey hopes for that outcome.
Whatever happens on Thursday, McVey concludes that Starmer is finished, and even he must be starting to realise that now.
