Reset our relationship with the EU to improve living standards, says union leader

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, told LBC's Henry Riley that ministers should "focus on the day job" of improving living standards instead of worrying about the polls.

He said this should include "resetting" the UK's relationship with the European Union, and suggested a customs union could help to revive the British economy.

He added that many sectors are dependent on the relationship with the bloc.

Read more: Labour on course for 'very large' losses at 2026 local elections, expert claims

Read more: More than £1 billion won for women this year in equal pay cases

Mr Nowak said: "This isn't about rerunning the Brexit referendum. That's been and gone. But the majority of people out there feel we've got a bad Brexit deal. And you can see that bad Brexit deal in Britain's supermarkets."

"I'm not particularly wedded to the Customs Union, but we said back in May of this year, the government should look at every single option for the most effective close working relationship we have with Europe.

"That might include the Customs Union.

"The crucial thing is we take action to drive down prices in supermarkets and we also protect good jobs here in the UK because we know jobs in automotive, in aerospace and chemicals and in so many other sectors are dependent on a close working relationship with Europe."

There has been speculation in recent months that Keir Starmer might be ousted as leader of the Labour Party if they fail to perform well in the upcoming local elections in May.

Polling expert Lord Hayward has said that the Prime Minister is on course for heavy losses in English council elections in May 2026, as well as defeat in the Welsh Senedd and a "battering" in the Scottish Parliament."

Lord Hayward said the party was on course for "very, very large" losses to Reform UK, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and, in east London, pro-Gaza Independent candidates.

However, Mr Nowak believes that it's more important for the government to "focus on the day job" as opposed to the who's who in British politics.

He told Henry Riley: "I suspect as we go into 2026, the vast majority of working people out there aren't going to be obsessing about who's up or who's down in the cabinet or political maneuvering.

"They're interested in the money in the pockets, they're interested in the state of our public services, and they're interested in their kids going to a decent school.

"So my message to our Prime Minister and to his Cabinet and to the entire government is forget about the polls, focus on the day job.

"And the day job is delivering that boost of living standards that working people desperately need."