Sir Keir Starmer will tell the Labour party that it is engaged in a “fight for the soul of the nation” and that history will not forgive his government if it fails to defeat Reform UK and the populist right. Speaking to the Guardian ahead of the party’s conference in Liverpool, the prime minister said now was “not the time for introspection” and infighting.
His remarks are seen as a veiled dig at Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor touted by some as a potential successor. Starmer insisted he would remain in office and lead Labour into the next election, which he said would be about “this very argument”.
Starmer urged his party to recognise the scale of the challenge, with Labour lagging 10 points behind Reform in the polls. “History will not forgive us if we do not use every ounce of our energy to fight Reform,” he said. “There is an enemy. There is a project which is detrimental to our country.”
The prime minister said he would “confront Reform, not ape Reform”, after concerns that Downing Street was pitching to the right on issues such as immigration. He singled out Nigel Farage’s attack on the scientific establishment as an example of why the government must defend key institutions.
Starmer also criticised Jeremy Corbyn, his leftwing predecessor, claiming the veteran MP would “not get behind the fight, because he’s into the politics of grievance on the left”. With the budget looming, Starmer admitted it would take time to turn the economy around but ruled out abandoning fiscal rules, citing the Liz Truss experiment.
