He promised “a bigger response” rather than “incremental change” in areas such as economic growth, closer European ties and energy.
He pledged to fully nationalise British Steel and, in the strongest condemnation since Britain’s acrimonious departure from the European Union in 2020, said Brexit had left the UK poorer, weaker and less secure.
Nigel Farage, who leads Reform UK and is tipped as a possible future prime minister, was a “chancer” and “grifter” whose virulent pro-Brexit campaign had taken Britain “for a ride”, he said.
“If we don’t get this right our country will go down a very dark path,” he added.
WHO SUCCEEDS?
After the speech, MP Catherine West, who had threatened to trigger a leadership challenge on Monday, said she was instead collecting the names of Labour MPs who want Starmer to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September.
Starmer pledged to fight any challenge and warned Labour would “never be forgiven” by voters if it imitated the “chaos” of the previous Conservative government, which went through five prime ministers since 2010, including three in just four months in 2022.
It has long been rumoured that Health Secretary Streeting and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner could try to oust Starmer.
But neither is universally popular within Labour.
Rayner, who has stopped short of calling for Starmer to quit, said in a speech of her own Monday that “what we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change”.
Another much-touted possible contender, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is currently unable to challenge as he does not have a seat in parliament.
The absence of an obvious successor means Starmer could still hold on, particularly with the next general election not expected until 2029.
Starmer is due to lay out more detailed legislative plans in the King’s Speech on Wednesday.
