Starmer says he will prove his doubters wrong
Key Points
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to prove his doubters wrong as rumours swirl over a leadership content in the Labour Party.
- On the back of disastrous local election results for Labour, Starmer has given a speech to lay out his plan for change in the months ahead.
- Starmer hit out at Nigel Farage over Brexit, calling him a 'grifter' and a 'chancer' who took the country for a ride.
- Announcements include the impending nationalisation of British Steel and an approach of building closer ties to Europe for economic security and defence.
On the back of local elections that wiped out Labour in councils across England, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given a speech outlining his plan for change going forward.
The recent local elections saw Reform UK take a dominant lead, tearing away councils from Labour and the Conservatives, with the Green Party also making big gains on the left.
In his speech on Monday 11 May, Starmer again took responsibility for Labour’s poor election results, stating that his government would do better in the months ahead.
He aimed criticism squarely at what he sees as Labour’s biggest opponents: Reform and the Greens, saying that his party faces dangerous opponents that could spell disaster for the country.
“We are not just facing dangerous times. But dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents,” Starmer said.
“If we don’t get this right, our country will go down a very dark path.”
Starmer pledges to prove his doubters wrong
Starmer is facing possible leadership challenges from many in his party as speculation swirls over who could replace the unpopular Prime Minister after the disastrous local elections.
He admitted that some in his party were frustrated with him, and said he would prove his doubters wrong by delivering big changes that people care about.
“Some people are frustrated with me. I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong – and I will,” Starmer said.
He said the government had made mistakes but had taken the right choice on big decisions in the face of large challenges, from the conflict in Iran to stabilising the economy and pushing through new protections and rights for working people.
Starmer built on this by announcing that this week, the government would bring forward legislation to nationalise British Steel, which he said is in the public interest. He also attacked Nigel Farage over Brexit and pledged to rebuild Britain’s relationship with Europe.
“I want to remind you what Nigel Farage said about Brexit,” Starmer said.
“He said it would make us richer, he was wrong. He said it would reduce migration. Wrong, migration went through the roof. He said it would make us stronger. Wrong again, it made us weaker.”
“He took Britain for a ride. He is not just a grifter, he is a chancer,” he said.
When asked if he would step aside after last week’s local election results, Starmer said constantly changing leaders would cause chaos for working people.
“I am not going to walk away,” Starmer said, implying he would fight in a contest if one of the Labour hopefuls such as Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, or Andy Burnham made a play for the party leadership.
