Keir Starmer will this week launch an 11th-hour bid to convince voters he is on their side as he refuses to give up the fight ahead of a tough set of local elections results
Keir Starmer will this week launch an 11th-hour bid to convince voters he is on their side as he refuses to give up the fight ahead of a tough set of local elections results.
The Prime Minister will on Monday travel to Armenia where he will be “fighting for our national interest on the world stage” amid the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Downing Street sources said the PM will make the case “strongly” to Brits both before and after Thursday’s crunch polling day that he is solely focused on “outcomes for people here at home”.
Labour is expected to suffer devastating results, with some experts predicting more than 1,800 seats lost at elections across parts of England and the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.
The hours and days in the aftermath are unpredictable with possible options including challenges to the PM’s leadership or a ministerial reshuffle. MPs over the weekend warned against moving Rachel Reeves from her post amid the fallout of the Iran war and the impact changing chancellors could have on the markets.
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Mr Starmer over the weekend cautioned Labour MPs against a repeat of the “political infighting” that plagued the Tory party for years. Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander similarly told colleagues with leadership ambitions not to turn Labour into a “self-indulgent debating society” that churns through leaders.
Downing Street said the PM will not allow the country to “slip backwards” as Labour MPs campaigned over the weekend to persuade their communities to lend them their vote. One Labour MP told the Mirror: “I’ve knocked 200 doors this weekend. A lot more support for the PM than you might think. Zero mentions of leadership shenanigans or Mandelson.”
Another Labour MP, whose area is at risk of falling to the Greens, said: “The margins are tight. There is a big surge but literally everyone is turnable. When you speak to people, they can start with very strong views but a good conversation reminding them of what we’re doing locally can change their views.”
Another MP, where Labour councillors are at risk of being voted out, echoed that the feeling is “mixed” on the doorsteps. They said: “You can persuade them around once you tell them what Labour’s delivered. People are receptive to breakfast clubs, nursery expansion, the state pension going up, NHS improvements. A lot of things people can see have changed but equally there’s still more to do.”
Polling experts admit that in the new era of multi-party politics, the margins are much smaller – meaning in some areas, things are still all to play for. Luke Tryl, More in Common’s executive director, told The Mirror: “There’s definitely still a big group of voters who are undecided. About one in five Londoners, for example, are undecided. Given that, in the age of electoral fragmentation, small margins will make all the difference.
“If the PM can appeal to those undecideds and convince them other parties are a risky choice that could swing whole councils. So the last week matters. And it seems both of the insurgent parties Reform and the Greens are having not great final weeks, if he can capitalise on that it might limit the scale of the losses, but even in the most optimistic scenario he’s on for a very bad few days.”
It comes as Reform became embroiled in a racism row in Wales, while Green leader Zack Polanski was forced to apologise after sharing a social media post criticising police in the Golders Green attack.
Mr Tryl also said the PM – who will be out on the world stage on Monday – needs to work on translating his international statesmanship into domestic achievements.
“People in focus groups do give him credit for keeping us out of the Iran conflict and will say they admire him for standing up to Trump, and ditto on Ukraine.”
“I think what he’s got to do is make the arguments that not just he’s good on the international stage, but that that matters for us here in the UK.”
At the European Political Community summit in Armenia on Monday, the PM will vow to work more closely with the EU after hitting out at Brexit ’s damage to the economy. The UK will enter talks to join the European Union’s £78billion loan scheme to Ukraine as part of No10’s reset with Brussels.
Mr Starmer, who will become only the second UK leader to visit Armenia since Margaret Thatcher in 1990, will also tell European leaders that Brits are suffering from instability and anxiety at home because of war in the Middle East. Talks will focus on how nations can best support security of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route which transports around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, to stop rising bills.
Ministers have already admitted Donald Trump ’s war in Iran could hit Brits in the long term, with the Treasury already looking at ways to support families struggling with energy bills this winter.
Ms Alexander, the Transport Secretary, on Sunday said Mr Starmer is the best person to lead Britain during a period of “extreme international volatility” amid the war. She cautioned those who are flirting with a leadership coup, saying: “I don’t think the public would thank us if the Labour Party turned into some sort of self-indulgent debating society when there are pockets of the world that feel like they are going to hell in a handcar at the moment.”
Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham are among those tipped as future leadership hopefuls, though none are understood to be in a position to make any immediate moves to topple the PM. Rumours have also been swirling that Mr Starmer could reshuffle his top team, though reports also suggest he thinks it would be a distraction.
Up to seven Cabinet ministers are reportedly ready to unite if this week’s results are as disastrous as some predictions say. Forcing the PM to set out a timetable for his replacement is one option said to be being considered.
Mr Starmer on Saturday insisted he’ll be judged on his promises in 2029 as he brushed off leadership questions ahead of next week’s crunch elections. Asked if he would have the “courage to stand aside” if the results are as bad as the party fears, the PM replied: “I was elected in July 2024 on a manifesto of change.
“It was a five-year term that I won with a landslide victory, and I’ll be judged at the end of that period, at the next election, by whether I’ve delivered on what I promised.”
And on Sunday, Mr Starmer vowed to use the King’s Speech on May 13 to set out an “agenda of radical reform” focused on defence, energy bills and economic security.
A No10 source told The Mirror this evening: “Britain is at a tipping point and we have a choice. We can rise to this moment together, become a stronger, more resilient and more united nation. Or we can sink into the politics of grievance and division. In previous crises Governments descended into political infighting and let the country slip backwards.
“The Prime Minister has been very clear this Government will be different. He’s fighting for our national interest on the world stage to deliver better outcomes for people here at home. That is and will remain his focus – strengthening our economy, defences and energy supply so we can build a fairer Britain with opportunity for all. Expect to see him making that case strongly to the British public over the next few weeks.”