Starmer tells Cabinet to prepare for ‘fight of our lives’ against Reform
PM issues warning amid speculation he may be replaced in No 10 by one of his ministers
Sir Keir Starmer has told his Cabinet ministers to come together for “the fight of our political lives” against Reform UK.
The Prime Minister warned his top team they face election defeat if they “lose their nerve” after a torrid first 18 months in power.
In a swipe at Nigel Farage’s insurgent party, he accused Reform of weakness on Russia and wanting to “inject bile” into public life.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the political Cabinet, which is held without civil servants in attendance, Sir Keir also said 2026 would be the year voters began to feel the benefits of a Labour Government.
However, the latest update to The Telegraph’s poll tracker showed Labour had lost more than half of its public support during its first 18 months in power.
Sir Keir told his Cabinet that by the next general election, the public faced a choice between “a Labour Government renewing the country, or a Reform movement that feeds on grievance, decline and division”.
He said: “They want a weaker state, they want to inject bile into our communities, they want to appease Putin. This is the fight of our political lives and one that we must relish.
“I do not underestimate the scale of the task. But I have no doubt about this team. Governments do not lose because polls go down. They lose when they lose belief or nerve. We will do neither.”
Sir Keir made his remarks amid growing speculation that he may no longer be in No 10 by the end of 2026 as Reform continues to enjoy a double-digit poll lead.
May’s local elections are seen as a moment of maximum danger for his premiership, while much of last year was overshadowed by high-profile Cabinet splits on welfare and Gaza.
In recent weeks, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, and David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, have gone beyond the official Government position in calling for closer ties with Europe.
Both Mr Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, have both refused to rule out their ambition to lead Labour in the future.
Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, has also refused to rule out challenging Sir Keir in the future despite the fact he is not an MP.
Earlier in the meeting, Sir Keir said 2026 would be “an important year as we show that renewal is becoming reality and that Britain is turning the corner”.
He added: “Getting our country back on track is hard, difficult work and we will reject the politics of easy answers and gimmicks that, frankly, got us here in the first place.”
Sir Keir insisted Labour would be judged at the next national poll on the economy, the NHS and whether people felt “more safe and secure” in their communities.
He said: “That will require hard work, focus and determination from all of us. Together, as a team, we will rise to that challenge and deliver for the whole country.”
In November, Sir Keir was forced to apologise to Mr Streeting after allies of the Prime Minister briefed journalists that he was plotting against him.
The Telegraph revealed this week that Scottish Labour MPs privately want Mr Streeting to begin a leadership challenge before May to avoid a wipe-out in the Holyrood election.
It followed Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, distancing himself from Sir Keir, admitting the Prime Minister was “not popular with the public right now”.
In the week after the general election, Labour was polling at an average of 35 per cent of the vote across major pollsters, The Telegraph’s poll tracker shows.
But the party’s average share of support has now plummeted to 17.4 per cent, putting it behind both Reform UK (29 per cent) and the Conservatives (19 per cent).
The Green Party, which has enjoyed a surge in support under its new firebrand leader Zack Polanski, is now averaging 15.7 per cent, placing it within the margin of error behind Labour.
On Tuesday, a YouGov poll showed Labour behind Kemi Badenoch’s Tories for the first time since Boris Johnson’s premiership.
