Keir Starmer has reiterated his commitment not to resign and promised to offer more 'hope' from his Government following a series of damaging election results. The Prime Minister was speaking after Labour lost thousands of councillors, control of the Welsh government, and failed to unseat the SNP in Scotland.
Election Setback
Labour suffered significant losses to the Greens and Reform UK, with Nigel Farage's party emerging as the biggest winners in the local elections. The results have been described as a catastrophe for Labour, prompting more than 30 MPs to call for Starmer's resignation.
Speaking to broadcasters in south London, Starmer acknowledged his mistakes but insisted he would not walk away. 'I'm not going to walk away from this, that would plunge the country into chaos. But that doesn't mean we don't need to respond. It doesn't mean we don't need to rebuild. It doesn't mean that we don't need to set out the path ahead. That's what I'm going to do in the coming days,' he said.
Admission of Mistakes
Starmer admitted that one of the 'unnecessary mistakes' made by the Government was informing the public about the scale of economic damage caused by the previous Conservative administration without adequately explaining how Labour would address the situation. 'The hope wasn't there enough in the first two years of this government. That's why it's important for me now to set out where hope resides,' he stated.
He emphasised that hope lies in providing young people with opportunities to succeed regardless of their background. 'It resides in our young people having the future to go as far as their talent or ability will take them – to genuinely have that because if you've grown up in poverty, you don't get that chance,' he added.
Future Vision
The Prime Minister pledged to articulate Labour's arguments about hope and the future, along with the values and convictions that drive him, in the coming days. He highlighted key decisions made by his Government, including stabilising the economy, investing in public services, and avoiding involvement in the war in Iran.
'We did make a number of really important calls in the last couple of years about stabilising the economy, investing in our public services, not getting drawn into the war in Iran. We need to couple that to the arguments we're making about hope and the future, about young people, about place, and so I will be setting out those arguments, but more than anything setting out with clarity the values and convictions that drive me,' Starmer explained.
New Advisory Roles
In a move described as 'future-looking', Starmer has brought back Labour veterans Baroness Harriet Harman and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown into advisory roles. Brown has been appointed as a special envoy on global finance, while Harman will serve as an adviser on women and girls.
Starmer emphasised the importance of these appointments: 'I want women to have the opportunities that they deserve. I want to be able to tackle misogyny, I've made commitments on this and Harriet working with the team is the absolutely right person to do that. So, it's very future-looking, because this is about making sure that every woman has the opportunities that she deserves.'
Regarding Brown's role, Starmer said: 'For Gordon, obviously, one of the big challenges we face is global finance. The war in Iran is causing real problems, economic impact. We need more spending on defence and security, that needs to come together around international mechanisms, and Gordon's got a track record on that, and so that is building the strong economy of the future.'
He concluded: 'So, on both fronts, they are very future-looking roles. They are vital to how we strengthen our country and take it forward, and provide the opportunities that give people that hope for a better future.'
