Sir Keir Starmer’s big problem following his 2025 Labour Party Conference speech is that most Britons do think the country is broken, a polling guru has warned.
In a snapshot assessment of the Prime Minister’s speech, Merlin Strategy founder Scarlett Maguire joined a star-studded panel at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s fringe event in Liverpool.
Explaining how Sir Keir’s message is slightly out of kilter with public sentiments, Ms Maguire said: “I think the biggest thing was the Prime Minister’s idea that Britain isn’t broken.
“You’ve seen Rishi Sunak fail to persuade the country that, actually, you just need to stick with us and it’ll be fine.
“It is much easier to do what Labour themselves did, which is running on what got them into power, which is Britain is broke and broken.”
Ms Maguire also pointed out that Sir Keir ran on the same message last year, with the Prime Minister warning that “Britain is broken and broke”.
However, Sir Keir is now hoping to tell voters that the country is no longer broken, arguing that Mr Farage’s “Britain is broken” slogan is promoting declinism.
The Prime Minister added: “When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain’s future?
The Prime Minister used his keynote conference speech to argue Britain is no longer broken
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PA
“He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain, doesn’t believe in Britain.
However, recent polling from by Merlin Strategy shows that a majority of Conservative, Labour, Green and Reform UK voters believe Britain is broken.
Reform UK voters were the most pessimistic about the state of the country at 83 per cent, with the Greens coming in second at 75 per cent.
Only Liberal Democrat voters rejected the suggestion that Britain is broken, albeit with a 56 per cent to 44 per cent split.
“Try telling that to some of the people in my focus groups,” Ms Maguire said. “Their pubs are shut, their high streets are desolate, they say they can’t afford to go and have a drink with their friends.”
She added: “It’s not going to be a winning argument to tell people that they’re wrong for thinking it.”
However, Ms Maguire did stress that Sir Keir appeared more “authentic” delivering his keynote conference address compared to his controversial Island of Strangers speech.
Sir Keir entered conference season facing pressure from the left and the right, with Mr Farage and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham both swiping from the sidelines.
The Prime Minister decided to dedicate the attacks in his speech towards the Reform UK leader, accusing him of being the “enemy” of his pursuit for national renewal.
Taking aim at Mr Farage, Sir Keir said: “When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about our future? He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain, he doesn’t believe in Britain.
“He wants you to doubt it just as much as he does. He resorts to grievance, they all do. They want to turn this country, this proud country, into a country of victims.”
However, Sir Keir’s message of trying to emulate Clement Attlee’s 1945 New Jerusalem message might struggle to cut through with voters.
Unemployment and inflation have both risen since Labour came to power last summer.
Channel crossings also surged by more than 40 per cent on the anniversary of Sir Keir’s first year in No10.
However, the Prime Minister is hoping some of the tough choices taken in the first few months of his premiership can build the foundations for growth in the future.
After Sir Keir used his speech to pit national renewal under Labour against declinism from Reform UK, Mr Farage issued the Prime Minister with a firm rebuke.
He said: “I don’t normally worry about abuse being thrown at me.
“I’ve got kind of used to it over the course of the last few years, but to accuse countless millions of being racist is a very, very low blow. Why? Well, this language will incite and encourage the radical left.
“I’m thinking of Antifa and other organisations like that. It directly threatens the safety of our elected officials and our campaigners, and, frankly, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, I think this is an absolute disgrace.”
Mr Farage added: “This is a desperate last throw of the dice from a Prime Minister who is in deep trouble.
“A Prime Minister who can’t even command the support of half of his own party, but, I’m sorry to say, I now believe that he is unfit to be the Prime Minister of our country.”