Voters will “never forgive” Labour MPs if they oust Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, Housing Secretary Steve Reed has warned.
Mr Reed, who replaced Angela Rayner following her departure from Cabinet, urged Labour MPs and activists not to “fall inwards on each other” by initiating a leadership civil war.
He instead claimed Labour needs to remember who voted for them at the last General Election and pointed out how the Tory Party had been punished for “chopping and changing” leaders.
However, Mr Reed’s defence comes at a time when polls show a majority of voters do not believe Sir Keir will remain Prime Minister next Christmas.
“We cannot be like the Tories,” Mr Reed told HuffPost UK
“It wasn’t just that they were doing the wrong things for 14 years, they kept chopping and changing from one thing to another and there was absolutely no stability in the country.
“When the British people last year voted for change, they wanted to get away from that kind of instability and chaos.
“This Government is laying the foundations of that change.
Sir Keir Starmer insists he will lead Labour into the next General Election
|
PA
“It hasn’t been easy and the change hasn’t been as visible as many voters would like and I understand that and I share their impatience, but we have to see this change through.”
He added: “The British people will never forgive us if we fall inwards on each other rather than focusing on the crisis that is facing them out there on the streets.
“Under the previous Government, we started to sink into decline and division and a lot of people believe that we can’t get out of that doom loop now. But we can.”
Despite speculation about a leadership contest, Sir Keir consistently insists he will remain Labour leader and Prime Minister until the next General Election.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, Sir Keir said: “I recognise the frustrations that in 12 months we’ve not been able to undo 14 years of failure.
“[But] I never said that was possible. I will be judged at the next election on, I think, three things above all else.
“Have living standards improved? Do people genuinely feel better off? Are public services better?
“And do people feel more safe and secure in their own neighbourhood?”
Steve Reed issued a rallying cry for Labour MPs and activists
|
PADespite the Prime Minister holding firm on his personal ambitions, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner have been mooted as potential plotters against Sir Keir.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham yet again confirmed he would return to Westminster if called upon by Labour MPs.
He said: “It’s the season of goodwill, so with that in mind, I don’t intend on asking the Prime Minister about his broken promises on energy bills, the 1,000 jobs being lost in the North Sea, and the fact that Peter Mandelson is still a member of the House of Lords.
“I won’t even ask him about the chaos engulfing the Labour Party, his Budget and his indeed his own leadership.
Sir Keir Starmer’s position appears increasingly vulnerable | PA
“No, Mr Speaker, I simply want to wish the Prime Minister happy Christmas.
“How does he intend on spending his final one in Downing Street?”
Sir Keir responded by revealing he will receive an update from the Chancellor on the situation at Grangemouth.
The Prime Minister added: “The Right Honourable Gentleman is clearly not interested in Grangemouth.
Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have all been accused of plotting against the Prime Minister | PA
“I would have thought, on a day like this, that he would want to welcome the £120million investment into Grangemouth.
“It is a landmark investment protecting 500 jobs there and hundreds more across Scotland’s supply chain, and he cannot even bring himself to mention it.
“That is on top of the Typhoon defence jobs in Edinburgh and the shipbuilding jobs on the Clyde.
“After decades of SNP rule, its Members are totally out of ideas and they cannot even welcome the Grangemouth news. Scotland deserves change next year with Anas Sarwar.”
Anna Turley (right) defended Sir Keir Starmer’s position
|
PAMeanwhile, Labour Party Chairwoman Anna Turley last week insisted Sir Keir will remain as Prime Minister next Christmas.
“As we go into the new year, I’m really optimistic about delivering the kind of change that people voted for last year, and to see them starting to see and feel it in their pockets and in their local communities,” Ms Turley told Sky News.
She added: “Well, I think rightly, people are impatient for change. We all are. And people voted for change – that was on the front of our manifesto last year.
“But it takes time to deliver that. It takes time to stabilise things from the chaos that we inherited.”