Keir Starmer faces a make-or-break moment this morning as he attempts to revive his premiership with a major speech after last week's election drubbing. The Prime Minister will vow to put Britain back at the heart of Europe and face up to the big challenges the country faces when he delivers his address around 10am.
Starmer's Speech and Political Survival
The Prime Minister spent Sunday holed up in No10 preparing for the crunch moment as a flurry of Labour MPs over the weekend demanded he set out a timetable for his departure. Other backbenchers are waiting to hear the contents of Mr Starmer's speech before deciding whether to join calls for the Prime Minister's exit from Downing Street.
It comes after Labour heavyweight Angela Rayner issued an ultimatum to Mr Starmer and warned the party faces its last chance to deliver change. She also hit out at the mistake of blocking Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's Westminster return.
Cabinet Minister Defends Wes Streeting
Cabinet minister Peter Kyle, a close friend of Wes Streeting, has attempted to dismiss reports the Health Secretary is planning a leadership punt. Mr Kyle told Sky News he was out campaigning with Mr Streeting last weekend, and the pair went for dinner and watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 together. Somebody who was planning to pull the plug and launch a leadership bid in a couple of days time doesn't go to the cinema with a friend, he said.
The Business Secretary also said he accepts people are fed-up following last week's elections, adding: Our party is convulsed by the results. He told Times Radio: He is the right person that needs to lead us through this. He needs to really meet the moment that we're in. We all need to support him in that, because he can't do it alone. And I've said this consistently since opposition, that too often people look to him as one person that can fix every problem.
Pressed on whether he wants eight more years of Mr Starmer at the helm, Mr Kyle said: I want eight years of delivering for the people of this country, led by the Prime Minister that we have now, that is actually delivering. He has faced so many challenges in office, he has met the moment so many times when it comes to the challenges we face on the international scene, fixing our public services, leading a Cabinet that is delivering, but we recognise that people want more urgency.
Leadership Challenge Threats
Keir Starmer will deliver a make-or-break speech this morning as he fights for his political survival. The Prime Minister will vow to deliver strength through fairness with no half measures and put the UK back at the heart of Europe after Friday's local elections mauling.
The PM is expected to say: To meet the challenges that our country faces, incremental change won't cut it. On growth, defence, Europe, energy – we need a bigger response than we anticipated in 2024 because these are not ordinary times. Strength through fairness. It's a core Labour argument. And you will see those values writ large in the King's Speech.
But he faces a moment of peril after former Foreign Office Minister Catherine West threatened to challenge the Prime Minister over the weekend. She said yesterday: I will hear what the Prime Minister's got to say tomorrow and, then if I'm still dissatisfied, I will put out my email to the Parliamentary Labour Party, asking for names [to support a leadership bid]. And the reason is not for me. It's for working people, because Labour is the only party that can beat Reform.
