Keir Starmer is battling to reboot his premiership after a devastating set of local election results, drawing up plans to slash fuel and energy bills in a cost of living blitz. No10 and the Treasury are thrashing out fresh support for families, targeting fuel costs and household bills sent rocketing by the war in Iran. Scrapping the fuel duty hike in September is understood to be an option on the table. The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are expected to sketch out their plans in the coming weeks, with help likely to come in the winter when temperatures plummet.
Starmer Vows to Fight On
Mr Starmer is mounting a fightback after his premiership was pushed to the brink in a ballot box mauling by voters, which saw Labour support decimated in its traditional strongholds across the country. A number of Labour MPs have broken ranks to call on him to quit. On Saturday night, Labour MP Catherine West launched a kamikaze bid to trigger a leadership contest if Cabinet ministers failed to challenge him. But in an interview with the Sunday Mirror earlier in the day, the Prime Minister said he wanted to see out his 10-year project to renew Britain - and said he would take on any challenger for the keys to No10.
Asked if he would lead Labour at the next election 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. Public services were broken and actually the situation was worse when we got into office than we thought beforehand. There has to be a 10 year project of renewal, because if it's to be done properly, that's how it needs to be done." Asked if he would fight on if he faced a challenge, Mr Starmer said: "I'm not going to walk away from the job I was elected to do in July 2024. Of course the results are tough, they're really tough and I'm not sugar coating that."
Labour's Electoral Wipeout
Labour was kicked out of power in Wales for the first time in 27 years, and First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat as Plaid Cymru and Reform hoovered up support in one of its most totemic heartlands. The party shed more than 1,400 councillors as Reform went on the march across England, while the Greens made major inroads into Labour territory in London. And Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was thwarted in his attempts to break the SNP's decades-long hold on power.
Mr Starmer will attempt to get on the front foot next week with a major speech on Monday, followed by the King's Speech on Wednesday, setting out plans for new laws over the next year. He admitted the tone from his Government had been too gloomy, saying: "The hope wasn't there enough in the first two years". Tackling the cost of living will be the top priority as families are left counting the cost of the conflict in the Middle East. "The war in Iran has had a major impact on Britain," he said. "It will continue to do so long after a lasting ceasefire is agreed. I know this causes anxiety for families, and I won't stand by."
Closer Ties with Europe
Mr Starmer said the country couldn't return to the status quo after the turmoil caused by Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. He said: "It has to be different. So [I'll be] responding with that plan of being really clear that this is about the hope and opportunity of a better future, part of which is a stronger economy and an economy that really works for everyone, wherever they live, whatever they do. There are a number of strands to that, but one is, we have to be closer to Europe, and I just want to be full throated about this." He is expected to put closer ties with Europe front and centre, as well as driving up opportunities for young people as he battles to neutralise the threat from the Greens and appease his own MPs. This includes a youth mobility scheme with Brussels, allowing young British and European citizens the right to live and work in each other's countries, which could be up and running by 2027.
The PM said: "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. That has been smashed away from young people because of Brexit. I'm not going to let Brexit stand in the way of their opportunities, and therefore we'll push forward on that." Labour grandees Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman were handed advisory jobs as the PM bolstered his operation. But Mr Starmer denied he had any plans to offer posts to Labour veterans Tony Blair or David Miliband - and dismissed speculation he could reshuffle his Cabinet.
Leadership Challenge Looms
The mood among MPs remains febrile, as speculation swirls over whether a challenge could launch a coup against him. On Saturday night, Labour MP Catherine West gave top ministers until Monday to decide among themselves who the next leader should be. In an explosive intervention, the ex-Foreign Office Minister said she was putting the Cabinet "on notice" that if they don't topple Keir Starmer, she will. Any leadership challenger would need a minimum of 81 names of fellow Labour MPs to back them to trigger a leadership contest. Ms West says she already has ten. She said she had been "surprised" that leadership rivals including Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner had held their fire so far. And she suggested the PM could be shifted into a role "he might enjoy, perhaps an international role."
