Peter Kyle said the conflict in the Middle East was a defining moment for Keir Starmer, who has seen his popularity boosted after standing up to Donald Trump
People are taking a “fresh look” at Keir Starmer after his handling of the Iran crisis, the Business Secretary has said.
Peter Kyle said the conflict in the Middle East was a defining moment for the Prime Minister, who has seen his popularity boosted after standing up to Donald Trump. The uptick in sentiment marks a shift in the PM’s gloomy poll ratings, and comes after his leadership was pushed to the brink in February.
In an interview with the Mirror, Mr Kyle said: “I think that this is a moment where a lot of people are taking a fresh look at Keir. Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, you know, great leaders of their time did take a while before the public really got to see them.
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“With Tony [Blair], it was when he really got his teeth into reforming the British state. With Thatcher, it was the Falklands conflict. These were definitional moments. And I think this is a definitional moment for Keir in highly complicated circumstances.
“The conventional relationships are no longer the foundations. They’re sometimes the ones rocking.”
Mr Kyle, an ally of the PM, said there was no handbook for Mr Starmer to navigate the rolling crises Britain faces. Mr Trump’s tariffs threats and the energy price spikes caused by the war come as the Government continues to grapple with a sluggish economy, borrowing at historic levels, and an international reputation damaged by the Tories, particularly with the EU.
He said: “All of this happened at the same time, and all of these [things] are coming together at this moment in time, and Keir is shouldering the load of all of this, and yet still moving forwards in all of these areas. And that’s something that I’ve had the privilege of seeing up close, and I wish more people had had that opportunity.”
As the war in the Middle East grinds on, ministers are drawing up plans to help shield Brits from being clobbered by rocketing energy bills. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has signalled help won’t come until the autumn when energy use rises, and it could be based on household income.
Mr Kyle said: “I think we all acknowledge that there are waves being generated in the Middle East and we don’t know yet whether they will lap our shores, or whether one or two of them will crash on our shores.
“But we are a Government that is striving to build resilience, to understand areas of uncertainty and make sure that we are as prepared for every eventuality as possible.”
Asked about support for smaller businesses worried about spiralling costs, he said: “We don’t yet know what the exact fallout will be as the war is ongoing… We know that energy prices are a real concern. I am acutely aware that there are parts of the economy whose resilience is not as firm as others.”
He added: “We are moving towards a period where – when the need becomes known – we can target as effectively as we possibly can where the need actually is.”
Despite the US President’s bombastic rhetoric, Mr Kyle said the trade deal with the US remains in place. He said: “Even during the difficult moments when there is a lot of pointed rhetoric coming from what is an unconventional President, the deals that have been done have endured.
“I think people need to recognize that amidst all of the challenge that comes from the volt faces that we see in policy and the kind of impulsiveness that we see in policy making.”
Mr Kyle expressed frustration at the focus on the US President’s barbs at at UK, saying: “This is something that’s being sort of meted out almost globally.” He added: “Trump also likes a deal, and he likes people who stick to their guns.”