Keir Starmer has reiterated his commitment not to resign and has pledged to deliver more "hope" from his Government, following a devastating series of election results for Labour. The party lost thousands of councillors, control in Wales, and failed to unseat the Scottish National Party in Scotland.
Starmer's Response to Election Defeat
Speaking after more than 30 MPs called for his resignation, Mr Starmer acknowledged he had made mistakes but vowed to more clearly articulate his values moving forward. He stated: "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."
Labour lost councils to the Greens and Reform UK, with Nigel Farage's party emerging as the biggest winners of the local elections. The results have been described as a catastrophe for Labour and a significant boost for Reform.
Admitting Mistakes and Looking Forward
In an interview with broadcasters in south London, the Prime Minister admitted that one of the "unnecessary mistakes" made by the Government was informing the public about the extent of the economic damage caused by the previous Conservative administration, without adequately explaining how Labour would rectify the situation.
He said: "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. 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."
The PM promised to outline Labour's arguments regarding hope and the future, as well as the values and convictions that drive him, in the coming days. He elaborated: "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 to that 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."
New Advisory Roles for Labour Veterans
In a move described as "future-looking," the Prime Minister has brought back Labour veterans Baroness Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown into advisory roles. Mr Brown has been appointed as a special envoy on global finance, while Lady Harman will serve as an adviser on women and girls.
Mr Starmer explained: "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. And so Harriet will lead on that work, working with the Cabinet, working with the team. 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. 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."
