Sir Keir Starmer opened his first cabinet meeting of 2026 with an appeal for unity, as speculation mounts over a potential leadership challenge. The prime minister urged discipline and a focus on tackling the cost of living crisis, amid reports that health secretary Wes Streeting is being courted by Scottish Labour MPs to take over.
A new YouGov poll shows Labour has slipped to third place at 17 per cent, behind Reform UK on 26 per cent and the Conservatives on 19 per cent. The party is only just above the Greens on 15 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats stand at 16 per cent. With local and devolved elections in May looming, Starmer faces pressure to deliver results.
Speaking at the political cabinet meeting, Starmer said: “Yes, there’s a world of uncertainty and upheaval, but tackling the cost of living remains and must remain our focus.” He highlighted increases in the minimum wage, Bank of England interest rate cuts, and help with energy bills as measures that are easing household burdens.
The prime minister also set out a stark political choice, warning against a “Reform movement that feeds on grievance, decline and division.” He added: “They want a weaker state, they want to inject bile into our communities, they want to appease Putin. This is the fight of our political lives.”
Ministers were reminded that centre-left parties in Norway, Australia and Canada successfully recovered by focusing on delivery and cost of living issues. Starmer insisted: “Governments do not lose because polls go down. They lose when they lose belief or nerve. We will do neither.”
