Prime Minister Keir Starmer is drawing up plans to slash fuel and energy bills in a cost of living blitz as he battles to turn around Labour's fortunes after a local elections wipeout. 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.
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.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, 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.'
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. 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. 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.
