'I’m not going to walk away': PM vows to prove his 'doubters' wrong but admits people are ‘frustrated’ with him
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to prove his “doubters” wrong as he fought back against calls for him to quit.
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Vowing not to ‘walk away’, the Prime Minister said his party would “be better and do better” as he took responsibility for Labour’s electoral mauling across England, Scotland and Wales last week.
Describing the election results as “tough”, he said at a crunch speech in central London: “I get it, I feel it, and I take responsibility.
“But it’s not just about taking responsibility for the results. It’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.”
The Prime Minister’s speech comes after a weekend of speculation about potential leadership challenges, with former minister Catherine West suggesting she would launch an attempt to topple Sir Keir if a Cabinet member did not step forward instead.
Sir Keir said he would fight any leadership challenge, saying he would not “walk away”. But he refused to be drawn on whether he would support an attempt by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to return to Parliament, saying it was up to Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC).
The NEC, dominated by supporters of the Prime Minister, blocked Mr Burnham’s bid to stand for the party earlier this year in the Gorton and Denton by-election that eventually saw Labour fall into third place behind the Greens and Reform UK.
Sir Keir told the crowd at today's speech: “I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”
Sir Keir also issued a warning to his party, saying Britain was “not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents”.
He said: “This hurts, not just because Labour has done badly, but because if we don’t get this right, our country will go down a very dark path.”
He took a swipe at Reform leader Nigel Farage and Green leader Zack Polanski, saying both parties prey on voters' "despair."
He said that neither men offer serious leadership and he blasted Nigel Farage as a "grifter" and "chancer".
Sir Keir’s speech on Monday was billed as setting out sweeping changes to tackle the “big challenges” confronting the UK in a bid to shore up support for his premiership.
The Prime Minister pledged to go further in his “reset” in relations with the EU, saying his Government would be defined by putting Britain at the “heart of Europe”.
He pledged to deliver “an ambitious youth experience scheme” with the EU so that “our young people can work and study and live in Europe, a symbol of a stronger relationship and a fairer future with our closest allies”.
Domestically, Sir Keir pledged to bring forward new legislation to nationalise British Steel, saying a commercial sale of its Scunthorpe steel works had not been possible since the Government took over the running of the plant last year.
And he vowed to block “far-right agitators” from coming to the UK for a march planned on Saturday, saying the demonstration was “designed to confront and intimidate”.
He said the party was facing a “battle for the soul” of the UK, as he warned Labour campaigners his party “cannot win as a weaker version of Reform (UK) or the Greens”.
Read more: Who could challenge Starmer?
He said: “This is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation and I want to be crystal clear about how we will win it because we cannot win as a weaker version of Reform or the Greens.
“We can only win as a stronger version of Labour, a mainstream party of power, not protest.
“And I also want to be really clear on this because I will never stop fighting for the decent, respectful, diverse country that I love – I will never give up on the hope we can unlock in this country, the hope of renters for security in their home, of workers, for fairness at work, of public services free from austerity, the hope of European solidarity, of community pride, of the people who paint over the graffiti that is racist, a country taking control of its future.
“Our spirit unchanged, our resolve unbroken, the hope of a country that can and will become a stronger, fairer Britain.”
Angela Rayner warned the PM that Labour faces its "last chance" after heavy election losses and backed Andy Burnham for a return to Westminster.
Following Labour's disastrous performance at the polls, the former deputy prime minister said the party had been wrong to block the Greater Manchester mayor from standing as an MP earlier this year.
She called on Sir Keir to "meet the moment" with bolder action to make people feel better off.
Alongside Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Rayner and Burnham are thought to be the main potential challengers to Sir Keir's leadership.