Housing Secretary Steve Reed has admitted that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “unpopular” but warned Labour against repeating the Conservative Party’s pattern of changing leaders. Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, Reed, one of Starmer’s closest allies, insisted that no one has the numbers to mount a successful challenge and urged the party to unite behind the prime minister.
“The prime minister is unpopular,” Reed told Sky News. “But each of the last four prime ministers in turn have been the most unpopular prime minister we’ve ever had. What happens when you’re the leader of the government at a time when the public are so angry is it focuses down on that individual. So we can either copy the Tories – they doomscrolled through leader after leader, five in eight years. It didn’t help them one jot.”
Reed emphasised that no leadership contest has been triggered, as no candidate has secured the backing of the required 81 MPs. He pointed to Labour’s “country first, party second” mantra and argued that sticking to it is essential at this “very difficult moment”. The warning comes after Labour’s poor performance in last week’s local elections, which has intensified pressure on Starmer’s position.
“You don’t have to imagine what would happen, because we just have to look back at what the Conservatives did,” Reed added. “Over eight years between 2016 and 2024 we had nine education secretaries, seven chancellors, and five prime ministers, and it led to their worst election result in 200 years.” He noted that while Labour fared badly last week, the Conservatives slipped further, cautioning against following that path.
Reed also highlighted recent government achievements, including UK GDP growth being the fastest in the G7 in the first quarter and falling NHS waiting lists, as evidence progress is being made. While 89 MPs have publicly called for Starmer’s resignation, no single candidate has emerged to challenge him.
