Keir Starmer is set to promise that Labour will “put Britain at the heart of Europe” as he fights to cling on to his job.
The Prime Minister faces a defining moment on Monday as he prepares to deliver a major speech pledging comprehensive reforms to tackle Britain’s most pressing issues.
The speech comes as Labour reels from catastrophic election results across England, Scotland and Wales, which have left the party haemorrhaging support to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and Zack Polanski’s Green Party.
Sir Keir maintains his proposals will convey “hope, urgency and exactly whose side we are on” as he attempts to convince sceptical Labour MPs that he remains capable of reversing the party’s fortunes.
The address launches what promises to be a pivotal week for his leadership, with backbenchers poised to back a challenge should he fail to deliver.
The Prime Minister will argue that modest adjustments are no longer sufficient to address the nation’s difficulties.
“To meet the challenges that our country faces, incremental change won’t cut it,” he will say, emphasising that responses on growth, defence, Europe and energy must exceed what was envisaged in 2024 “because these are not ordinary times.”
Sir Keir has conceded that his government’s early messaging struck an excessively pessimistic tone, dwelling on inherited economic and public service problems without adequately outlining solutions.
Strengthening relations with Brussels will feature prominently in Keir Starmer’s speech
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PA
“People need hope,” he will declare. “We will face up to the big challenges and we will make the big arguments.”
Strengthening relations with Brussels will feature prominently, with the PM stating: “This Labour Government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship and by putting Britain at the heart of Europe.”
Former minister Catherine West will determine whether to pursue a leadership challenge following the Prime Minister’s address, should she remain “dissatisfied” with his response.
Such a bid would require securing 81 nominations from Labour MPs.
Keir Starmer is fighting to save his job
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PA
Ms West has indicated her efforts are designed to pressure Cabinet members into uniting behind an alternative candidate rather than representing a genuine attempt to claim the premiership herself.
Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister and Labour deputy leader, has issued her own demands, insisting Sir Keir must “meet the moment and set out the change our country needs.”
In a substantial statement outlining her vision, Ms Rayner advocated a leftward shift and called for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s return to Parliament, describing the decision to block him as “a mistake.”
Both Ms Rayner and Mr Burnham are viewed as potential successors to Sir Keir, though the former deputy leader stopped short of explicitly calling for his departure.
However, criticism has extended well beyond the Prime Minister’s traditional left-wing opponents.
Ms Rayner condemned what she termed a “toxic culture of cronyism” exposed by the Mandelson scandal, warning that Labour risks “becoming a party of the well-off, not working people.”
“What we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance,” she declared.
Former minister Josh Simons, previously head of the centre-right Labour Together think tank, urged Sir Keir to “lead an orderly transition” and called on senior figures to “urgently come together to agree a path forward.”