Keir Starmer ‘has until May’ as polling sends warning shot
Keir Starmer has been told he has until next May’s local elections to turn fortunes around as polling has sent the prime minister an ominous warning about his future.
The Prime Minister is facing intense pressure from Labour MPs after new questions were raised about his appointment and judgment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister has also left Starmer more vulnerable to attacks from leftwing blocs in the Labour Party.
Several MPs have now made public criticisms of Starmer, with one influential backbencher telling the BBC’s Today programme that the Prime Minister has until next May’s elections to turn the tide around.
It has also been suggested that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is being considered as a potential candidate to challenge Starmer, with a poll showing the gulf in popular support between the two.
Richard Burgon said: “Lots of MPs are looking to the elections next May. The opinion polls suggest it’s going to be a complete disaster unfortunately.”
“I think it’s inevitable that if May’s elections go as people predict, and the opinion polls predict, then I think Starmer will be gone at that time.
“It feels like we are years and years into an unpopular government, rather than a year into a government that’s just got rid of the Conservatives.”
The Labour MP Clive Lewis has also claimed that Starmer did not appear to be “up to the job” as he said feelings among backbenchers “very dangerous”.
Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander last week admitted that Labour MPs would be feeling “despondent” following the latest Mandelson scandal.
Keir Starmer’s showdown with MPs
Other MPs to publicly raise the alarm on Starmer’s viability as a leader include Graham Stringer while Lucy Powell, who was sacked by the Prime Minister in a recent reshuffle, is seen as a staunch critic of him in her deputy leadership battle with education secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Some ministers have also told outlets in anonymous briefings that Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, was in an untenable position given his close relationship with Peter Mandelson, whom the prime minister backed in PMQs last Wednesday before sacking him a day later.
Reports have also emerged that Starmer was aware of the potential risks posed by Mandelson’s appointment before Wednesday, including the fact that the former ambassador had maintained a close relationship after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted for soliciting prostitution.
The UK government has emphasised that “materially different” information about Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein – namely an email in which the Labour grandee told the paedophile “I think the world of you” – only emerged on Wednesday evening.
But it has failed to keep disgruntled MPs at bay, who are reportedly backing Burnham to run as an MP before challenging for party leadership.
Burnham is in a league of his own
Polling by Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy has highlighted the sharp difference in support for Keir Starmer and Burnham.
While Keir Starmer is sitting on a net approval of minus 41 – below the likes of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who is set to land in the UK on Tuesday morning – Burnham is the only Labour politician to be in positive territory.
The Manchester Mayor has an approval rating of seven, which is higher than Nigel Farage.
He is particularly popular among Labour voters, with his net approval rating rising to 30 among the group.
But on Sunday morning, business secretary Peter Kyle made a pointed comment on Sunday to Burnham.
“Andy’s a real talent,” Kyle said. “I think he’s doing an incredible job in Manchester at the moment, and I think Manchester really needs him. I love working with him in Manchester. It’d be a shame for Manchester to lose him.”