Keir Starmer in ‘full warrior mode’ throughout speech and relishes combat towards ‘doom and gloom’ of Nigel Farage
Prime Minister Keir Starmer came out in “full warrior mode” to save his premiership during this morning’s key speech, and showed signs of being up for the fight against Reform UK and Nigel Farage
Keir Starmer went “full warrior mode” for his key speech this morning(Image: James Manning/PA Wire)
Keir Starmer came out fighting while warning about “a battle for the soul of our nation” during this morning’s speech, a body language expert has revealed.
The PM showed signs of anticipation for the fight ahead, and also looking forward to an impending showdown with “grifter” Nigel Farage. Mr Starmer adopted the role of a working-class warrior during his make-or-break speech, and also changed his voice to prove he’s the man to take the UK forward, she added.
The PM spoke this morning in a bid to stave off a leadership challenge from frustrated Labour MPs, after last week’s local election drubbing. Labour lost more than 1,100 councillors in England and control of 36 local authorities during the elections. It also lost control of the Welsh Senedd, and suffered huge losses in the Scottish Parliament election.
Body Language expert Judi James told the Mirror: “With his open-necked shirt and his sleeves rolled up, Starmer’s body language adopted the mode of a working-class warrior as he came off the ropes to fight for his political life. His eyebrow-flashes round the audience, his quick trouser hikes and his constant turkey-style neck-jutting head batons as he delivered verbally were all pure Del Boy, performed to endorse his claim of a ‘working class background’.
READ MORE: UK Politics live: Starmer insists he and Rayner are still friends after major reset speech stressing left wing agendaREAD MORE: Keir Starmer faces biggest test yet as Angela Rayner warns of ‘last chance’
“The PM began with an ‘er’ to announce his awareness of the drubbing in the polls. As he spoke, he used long dramatic pauses to suggest an emotional, chastened state. His ‘I get it. I feel it. I take responsibility’ came with the conducting head batons to create emphasis.
“But after the ‘apology’ he moved swiftly on to a changed state of terrier-like, combative resilience to hint he was going nowhere. Starmer chose a three-state psychologically-persuasive path for the structure of this speech. When people feel fearful, they are less likely to seek change, so his opening comments after his apology were delivered like a horror story.
“The word ‘dangerous’ was repeated four times as he hunched over the lectern using a precision pinch gesture to raise the sense of impending doom. Frowning and sonorous he warned that ‘our country could go down a very dark path’ and that we are ‘a world more dangerous than at any time in my life’.”
Mr Starmer changed between emphasising a state of doom and gloom, and a softer, persuasive tone, she added. He often leant on both of his arms on the lectern, in a subtle gesture of intimacy with his audience.
“After soothing came the pugilistic, warrior state where his voice rose to a Dalek-style shout to prove he was the man strong enough for the job,” added Ms James. “His blink rate increased and his beaked hand plunged about, even crashing down towards the lectern as he spoke about his stance over Iran.
“He dropped to an almost tearful-sounding state as he mentioned his late brother and his sister or told how ‘I do know what it is to struggle and survive’ but then Del Boy returned with a vengeance when he talked about Brexit and ‘Putting Britain at the heart of Europe’.”
The PM also made time to mock the leader of the Reform UK party, Nigel Farage. He rolled his ‘r’s’ in Farage in a subtle, snide dig, while also huffing his words as he labelled Farage a “grifter” and a “chancer”.
“Farage-bashing to imply he would relish the fight with the Reform leader,” said the body language expert.
She added: “In full warrior mode he spoke of ‘A battle for the soul of our nation’. But his air of an angry, energized and keen warrior tended to be confined to the lectern.
“As he entered the room and took his seat at the start, there were some undeniable signals that suggested inner anxiety and tension. His rigidly-held grin looked sickly and over-performed enough to be created by bravado more than genuine joy.
“His waistband-hiking and the constant plucking at the front of his shirt looked like self-calming ‘checking’ rituals to imply nerves and, with his teeth appearing to clench, we could see his thumbs rubbing his hands in his hand clasp in a self-sooth gesture.”
