Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has placed measures to tackle the cost of living and forge closer ties with the European Union at the heart of his plan to revive Labour's fortunes following a disastrous set of local elections. The Prime Minister is fighting to save his job, with a Labour MP reportedly plotting to launch a leadership challenge on Monday in hopes of spurring his Cabinet to oust him. Despite mounting pressure to resign, Sir Keir insisted he would lead Labour into the next general election to continue his 10-year project of 'national renewal'.
Commitment to Closer EU Ties
In an interview with the Mirror, Sir Keir promised to be 'full-throated' about the need for closer ties with Brussels, seeking to win back wavering Labour MPs and address the drift of voters to the Green Party in former strongholds across London and English cities. He stated, 'We have to be closer to Europe, and I just want to be full-throated about this.' A youth experience scheme allowing young EU and British citizens to work and study in each other's countries is expected to be agreed this summer and implemented by 2027. Sir Keir added, 'I feel that Brexit has held back our young people. They should be free to work, study, travel in European countries, just as I was able to when I was growing up.'
Economic Measures and Leadership Challenge
However, the big winners from the local elections in England were Reform UK, led by Brexit champion Nigel Farage, which captured councils that had been Labour for generations in former northern heartlands. In response, Sir Keir promised 'an economy that really works for everyone, wherever they live.' The Mirror reported that No 10 and the Treasury are drawing up support for families, targeting fuel costs and household bills that have soared since the Iran war pushed up global oil and gas prices. Scrapping September's planned increase in fuel duty is understood to be an option under consideration.
Former Foreign Office minister Catherine West has announced she will launch a leadership bid on Monday unless Sir Keir is ushered out by the Cabinet. Describing the election results as 'apocalyptic,' she called for the Cabinet to lock itself in a room and devise a plan. She said, 'I have said that if the Cabinet do not get their act together and get the seriousness of the moment that we find ourselves electorally, that on Monday morning, I will email every single one of my colleagues and ask for up to 80 names.' To challenge Sir Keir, she needs the backing of 20% of Labour's 403 MPs, a total of 81.
Sir Keir, however, remains defiant, stating he will lead Labour at the next election expected in 2029 and serve a full term. He said, 'Yes I will, and I've always said it's a decade of national renewal, where the legacy we inherited was an appalling legacy on all fronts, not just the economy, which was broken.'
