It’s been a turbulent autumn for Britain’s Labour Party, as ministers, MPs, and party activists wrestle with a question that’s both simple and surprisingly elusive: what story is Labour telling the country? With the party’s annual conference about to kick off in Liverpool, frustration is simmering beneath the surface, and all eyes are on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to deliver the vision and unity his party—and the nation—crave.
According to BBC News, the mood among Labour MPs is one of impatience. Many feel that, despite the government’s efforts at communication—think short-form social media videos starring senior ministers like Darren Jones explaining policy over a government-branded mug, or Ed Miliband munching crisps while talking green energy—Labour still hasn’t managed to paint a compelling picture of its mission. As one cabinet minister put it, “We still need to define ourselves. If we end up defining ourselves in response to the left or the right, we will veer off to extremes and chase what others are saying. We need to stand alone with our own bold, credible, modern agenda.”
This sentiment is echoed by others at the top. Two of Starmer’s most senior ministers, Darren Jones (the first ever chief secretary to the prime minister) and David Lammy (the new deputy prime minister), have been tasked with sharpening Labour’s message. Jones has launched a “Darren explains” video series, covering everything from ID cards to new towns policy, while Lammy is reportedly advising Starmer on how to more proactively pick fights with political opponents across the spectrum. The idea, borrowed from advice given by Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez, is to define Labour’s values by drawing clear lines not just with the right, but also with the left and even within Labour’s own coalition.
But what are those values, exactly? Ask around, and you’ll get different answers. Some ministers insist there are now three clear priorities: improving living standards, combatting illegal immigration, and improving the NHS. Others argue growth should be front and center, or that housebuilding and planning reform deserve more prominence. Starmer has tried to answer these questions before, with his five missions unveiled in February 2023 and the six milestones of his “plan for change” in December 2024. Yet, as BBC News reports, even his most loyal supporters admit the message hasn’t quite landed with the public. “We’re just not good enough at painting a picture of what we want the country to be in 10 years’ time,” one senior source lamented. “We say we have a plan for change and national renewal but we don’t spell out what that means for schools, for hospitals, for people. We just sound like we’re supervising things carrying on as they are.”
There are more optimistic voices, too. “We have the agenda, we just need to find a way to hang it together as a more coherent story,” one official told the BBC. But for many of the Labour MPs who swept into Parliament in last year’s general election, the government’s pace and urgency are lacking. “We don’t actually seem to be doing anything at the moment,” an unnamed MP complained last week. Ministers counter that this is simply the rhythm of the parliamentary session, with flagship legislation already fought over earlier in the term and many bills now in the nitty-gritty final stages. Notably, the government has passed more new laws in its first 16 months than the 2010 coalition, and about the same as David Cameron’s majority government after 2015—though still fewer than Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher managed in their early days. The upcoming King’s Speech, expected after local and national elections in May 2026, will be the next big chance to set out Labour’s legislative priorities.
Yet, for some, that’s not soon enough. “There’s so much we can do that doesn’t rely on legislation,” one cabinet minister argued. “We just need to get on with it. I’ve got a handful of colleagues who really get that. And some who simply don’t.”
Amid this soul-searching, Labour faces a fresh challenge to its unity. As the PA news agency reports, the party’s chairwoman Anna Turley has called for Labour to rally behind Starmer’s vision. Her intervention comes after Andy Burnham, the high-profile mayor of Greater Manchester, suggested some Labour MPs had privately urged him to challenge Starmer for the leadership. Turley acknowledged it’s been a “challenging couple of weeks” for Labour, citing not only Burnham’s manoeuvrings but also the resignation of Angela Rayner and the sacking of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador. “Andy Burnham has a big profile. He’s doing a great job in Manchester. You know, he’s made commitments to the people of Manchester. I think we need a party that’s united,” Turley told PA.
She continued, “If the polls aren’t looking great, people always get a little bit wobbly. Politics is littered with ambition.” Turley emphasized that most Labour MPs want the government to succeed and to build on the progress of the past year: “Labour MPs want this Government to be a success. They want to see the vision from the prime minister, and they want us to build on the progress we’ve made in the last year and to lead into a second term. That’s what Labour MPs will want.”
Turley dismissed Burnham’s claims of MPs urging him to run, saying, “There’s an awful lot of MPs who are frustrated at that and actually dislike that and wonder what the motivations are for that.” Instead, she said, the mood is one of determination: “What I hear is people saying: ‘Right, come on, let’s get together, let’s step up, let’s set out our vision, let’s move into this phase of delivery and making sure that we deliver on the vision that we’ve got for this country: more money in people’s pockets, better public services, a country that’s confident and secure.’”
The stakes for Labour are high. The party is currently trailing Reform UK in the polls, and the recent resignations and leadership speculation have given “phase two” of Starmer’s leadership a rocky start. Turley sees the conference as a “huge opportunity for the prime minister to really set out his vision now for the country.” She added, “Obviously we’ve had quite a challenging couple of weeks. I don’t think anyone would deny that. And I think this has come at a perfect time for us to really speak to the country, instead of to ourselves, and to set out the vision that he’s got here.”
Turley also warned against allowing voter frustration to be exploited by opposition parties, especially Reform UK, which Labour now identifies as its main threat to a second term. “The polls speak clearly. But I think a big part of this is actually just people’s sense of frustration,” she said. “We have to make sure that there is a decent, positive vision for the country, and we don’t allow the sort of frustration, or the fact that times are tough, to allow people to be lured by fake promises, a party that has no solutions, that just exploits division and grievance.”
Despite negative polling—one pollster even called Starmer the least popular prime minister in British history—some in government remain hopeful. “Remarkably for a politician who’s been a party leader for a long time he’s still not defined for a lot of the public,” a senior ally told the BBC. “There’s a lot of anger out there but I still really believe that they’re willing to change their minds about him. A lot of people still don’t quite know what they think of him.”
As Labour’s conference opens, the party stands at a crossroads: will it finally find the narrative—and the unity—it needs to carry its vision to the public and secure a second term? The coming days in Liverpool may well shape the answer.
