Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has made a public and emphatic declaration that he will lead the Labour Party into the next general election, brushing off swirling speculation and internal dissent that have dogged his leadership in recent weeks. In a series of interviews and public appearances, Starmer has sought to refocus his party’s attention on the cost of living crisis, which he insists is the most urgent issue facing British families today.
Speaking to The Mirror, Starmer was unequivocal about his intentions: “Yes, I will. Let me be really clear – every minute that's not spent talking about and dealing with the cost of living is a minute wasted of the political work of this Government. That's my response to last week. I remain utterly focused on what matters to me most, which is bearing down on the cost of living and making people feel better off.” According to BBC News, the prime minister’s remarks come ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s crucial Budget announcement scheduled for November 26, which he promises will have “Labour values right through it.”
Starmer’s defiant stance comes after a turbulent period marked by anonymous briefings and rumors of leadership challenges from within his own party. The most prominent name to emerge in this internal drama was Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was widely reported as a potential challenger. Streeting, however, has firmly denied any such ambitions, declaring at an NHS conference in Manchester, “Yes,” when asked if he would fight alongside Starmer against any plots to unseat him. He also called for those behind the anonymous briefings to be sacked, describing the episode as “unacceptable,” BBC News reported.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also weighed in, telling The Independent that the anonymous briefings were “embarrassing for all involved.” When asked if Starmer needed to reconsider his leadership, Mahmood was forthright: “No. Keir Starmer is our Prime Minister. We won an election just under a year and a half or so ago, when people thought that we would not win an election for maybe a generation or more. I have no time for these things that people say or brief off the record, or any of this, frankly, Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.” Mahmood further urged those with grievances to voice them publicly, rather than hiding behind anonymity, adding, “I think what happened at the beginning of this week was, with all of those anonymous briefings, unedifying and deeply embarrassing for everyone concerned.”
The sense of internal turmoil has been compounded by polling data that paints a mixed picture of Starmer’s standing within his own party. According to a YouGov poll cited by The Times, only 34% of Labour voters want Starmer to lead the party into the next election, while 23% think he should quit now and another 22% believe he should step down before the country goes to the polls again. Despite these figures, Starmer remains adamant that his focus should not be distracted by leadership speculation. “Every minute we waste on other issues is a minute we're not bearing down on that [the cost of living],” he told The Mirror. He added, “I'm very conscious of the fact that people want to get on in life, they want to progress, they want more money in their pocket to do the things that matter to them.”
Starmer has made a point of highlighting his personal connection to the economic struggles facing many Britons. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have enough money, and sometimes we couldn’t pay the bills. I know what it feels like to be sitting around your kitchen table worrying about that,” he shared with The Mirror. This personal touch is part of a broader strategy to position Labour as the party most attuned to the everyday concerns of working families.
Looking ahead to the November 26 Budget, Starmer has promised measures that he believes will make a tangible difference in people’s lives. Among the expected announcements are a freeze on the £9.90 prescription charge in England and expanded free breakfast clubs for primary schools. “We’ve had a freeze in place, which is really important, and you can expect more on that in the coming days,” Starmer indicated in his interview. Additionally, powers may be granted to London mayor Sadiq Khan and other metropolitan leaders to introduce a levy for overnight stays in hotels and Airbnb-style accommodations, The Mirror reported. While Chancellor Reeves had previously hinted at raising income tax rates, government sources now suggest that this approach has been ruled out, although “tough choices” are still expected in the Budget, according to BBC News.
Starmer has also sought to draw a clear line between Labour and its political rivals, particularly Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage. Rejecting any suggestion that Labour is trying to outdo Farage’s hardline stance on immigration, Starmer told The Mirror, “Reform do not have any answers to the question, to the challenges this country faces. They feed off grievance. They want problems to persist, and they are driven by a toxic division that will tear our country apart.” He continued, “There are two paths for our country. Patriotic national renewal, with a Labour Party and a Labour Government bearing down on the cost of living and actually taking the measures that are going to change the lives of millions of families, doing the hard yards of governing, or the toxic division of Reform and their like. That path is built on grievance, they don't have any serious answers, and it's absolutely important we expose them for what they are, which is peddlers of snake oil.”
The prime minister’s comments come as his government faces not only internal party concerns but also the broader challenge of delivering on campaign promises amid rising costs and public anxiety. The upcoming Budget is seen as a critical test of Labour’s ability to balance fiscal responsibility with the need to support struggling households. Both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage are expected to present their own plans for managing public finances, setting the stage for a heated debate over the country’s economic future.
Despite the recent turbulence, Starmer’s allies have rallied around him, with Streeting and Mahmood both publicly backing his leadership and urging the party to close ranks. Starmer himself has condemned the attacks on his cabinet ministers, stating at Prime Minister’s Questions that he “never authorised” such actions and calling them “unacceptable.” His press secretary told reporters that the briefings against Streeting originated from outside Number 10, though declined to say whether a formal leak inquiry would be launched. Some in government have pointed fingers at the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, but sources told BBC News that he was not involved “directly or indirectly.”
As the November 26 Budget approaches, all eyes remain on Starmer and his government to see whether they can steady the ship, address the cost of living crisis, and restore confidence both within the Labour Party and among the wider public. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Starmer’s leadership can weather the storm—or whether the rumblings of discontent will grow louder.
