EXCLUSIVE: As Labour marks two years since its general election win in 2024, The Mirror talks to Labour MPs and experts about what went wrong, what went right and what comes next
Two years ago Keir Starmer was greeted by euphoric and bleary-eyed Labour activists waving Union Jack flags as he walked up Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister.
Just hours earlier – on July 5, 2024 – the country had woken up to the news of Labour’s historic landslide election win, bringing an end to 14 years of Tory rule. The new Prime Minister, who had swept to victory on a platform of “change”, promised voters politics would “tread more lightly on your lives” after the Conservative psychodrama.
But as Labour marks its two-year anniversary in power, Mr Starmer’s time in office is coming to an abrupt end with a little under three weeks left in office. It follows months of bitter-infighting in the party’s ranks over the catastrophic decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador, recriminations over Labour’s local elections drubbing, and resignations from the ministerial ranks.
Facing intense pressure last month, Mr Starmer told the country as he announced his resignation: “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.”
One minister told The Mirror ahead of the two-year anniversary of Labour being in power: “It’s hard to know how to feel about it until we know what happens next.” But they said they were “cautiously optimistic” about an Andy Burnham premiership – despite the ex-Greater Manchester Mayor facing the same challenges as Mr Starmer.
They said a greater clarity of vision from the so-called ‘King of the North’ could help to get things done. “It wasn’t always clear what Keir’s priorities were,” they added. “If you have that drive from the PM, from No10, it changes things.”
Labour MPs are also seeking to use their post mortem of Labour’s two years in office to avoid the same mistakes being made. Mr Burnham has spent the week meeting MPs and unions as he seeks to smooth over rocky relations with Downing Street.
Mr Starmer’s errors – and subsequent U-turns – relating to winter fuel cuts and plans to slash £5billion in disability benefits triggered massive anger among Labour backbenchers, who felt blindsided by their own leader.
One left-leaning MP said Mr Burnham’s premiership must mark a “new culture”, adding: “There is much to highlight in just two years of Labour in power which will make a real difference to people’s lives, but the administration failed to engage and listen to what its Party, its MPs and the wider country was saying on too many occasions, shutting out advice rather than embracing it. It is therefore time for a new chapter in Labour’s story, a new culture.”
For others, there is disappointment on Mr Starmer’s failure to deliver on some of the landmark pledges in the 2024 Labour manifesto. Progress on introducing a Hillsborough law is one example.
The vow was a key pillar at Labour’s annual party conference last September, where Margaret Aspinall, whose son died in the 1989 disaster, introduced Mr Starmer on stage. But since then, the law has stalled, which one MP said was “extremely disappointing”. Mr Burnham has long campaigned for justice for Hillsborough families and is expected to champion the cause in No10.
Mr Starmer has also faced criticism during his time in No10 from some MPs who accused him of trying to “out-Reform Reform” on his migration plans. Last summer, the PM said he regretted saying Britain risked becoming “an island of strangers” in an immigration speech. One ministerial aide said: “Given the threat from Reform, I’m approaching the next three years with a renewed sense of resolve. We need to get behind the next prime minister, align around a positive vision for the country, match that with a policy programme that delivers on our manifesto promises.”
But other MPs are keen to celebrate the progress made during the first couple of years of a Labour government after 14 years of damaging Tory rule – and hope this momentum will be continued under Mr Burnham. A left-leaning MP said: “I’m so proud of the renters’ rights act and workers’ rights and I can’t believe it’s been two years.”
Another long-serving MP, who was supportive of Mr Starmer, highlighted the PM’s performance on the world stage, which has long been praised as one of his strongest qualities. They said: “Labour came to power and inherited an Armed Forces that had been ‘hollowed out’. We had also lost our status at the international table. In response to this, Keir Starmer set about restoring our international reputation.
“The PM has done an excellent job at an unbelievably difficult time and has shown extraordinary integrity in the face of (Donald) Trump, (Vladimir) Putin and (Elon) Musk.”
But despite the good moments of Starmer’s premiership, many of which will likely in time be appreciated more, the mistakes have overshadowed them. Many blame a lack of a clear story as an overarching problem, with the Government unable to explain or navigate inevitably tough decisions it had to take.
One 2024 intake MP said: “I think part of the challenge is that we haven’t been able to yet articulate a sufficiently compelling vision for where we want to take the country, or what kind of society and economy we want to build for the future and the next generation of Britons. That is the Day One task of the next Prime Minister.”
Ed Owen, Think Labour’s executive director of political strategy, echoed the sentiment on Mr Starmer’s leadership. “In the end he wasn’t able to articulate a strong overall coherent vision of change,” he said.
“That’s not just a communications issue. I mean, Keir’s not, as he would I’m sure admit, the greatest public communicator, but I think it reflects something of the lack of coherence across government policy, across a government approach.”
Mr Owen, who was an adviser under Tony Blair’s government, said Mr Burnham’s “great asset” is his ability to connect with voters through effective political story-telling. He said this could help the ex-Greater Manchester mayor with the difficult choices he’ll have to make as he enters office in a continuingly difficult economic backdrop.
“Government isn’t about pleasing everyone or sides. I’m afraid that’s just the fact of life of the way that politics works and you’ve got to have the absolute clear-eyed perspective that making political trade-offs in government is necessary in order to make change,” he said. I mean the great asset that Andy has is his ability to connect and his ability to be able to tell a story in a way that can reflect that sort of broader picture of change. What’s the journey I want to take the country on? What are the issues that need addressing, and how am I going to help solve them?”