The Clock May Be Ticking for British PM Keir Starmer

legalinsurrection.com

On July 5, 2024, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a landslide victory. Sixteen months later, he is fighting off challenges to his leadership, with some critics calling him the most unpopular prime minister in British history.

Rumors that Starmer may have only “days left” began circulating on social media over the past couple of days and, on Wednesday, major British media outlets reported that all is not well at 10 Downing Street.

This was all predictable. Unchecked immigration and the government’s prioritization of immigrants over long-standing citizens, the creeping censorship and marginalization of those who challenge the government’s misguided policies, an overly aggressive climate agenda, and consideration of another tax increase have fueled a sense of instability and an erosion of confidence throughout the U.K. While these problems existed long before Starmer came to power, his governance has only intensified them.

Dissatisfaction with Starmer and his party is showing up in the polls, which have grown increasingly “bleak” in recent months. His Labour Party placed fourth in a recent YouGov survey, securing just 17% support — behind Reform UK, the Conservatives, and the Greens. The Telegraph noted that this marked Labour’s worst result in the pollster’s history.

According to BBC chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman:

[Labour Party] Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the government’s designated interviewee on the early media round, variously accused those at the top of government of a “toxic culture” of sexism, and called for unnamed officials in Downing Street to be sacked.

He was responding to briefings from allies of Sir Keir that the prime minister would fight any challenge to his leadership, with Streeting’s name mentioned as a potential challenger.

Local elections are set for next May and the next general election must be called by August 2029. But Zeffman reported that “there have been mutterings that Starmer might be challenged sooner rather than later.”

Labour Party MPs are said to be growing anxious about their own political futures, with one recently telling him, “It’s all very well to say wait for the locals, but that’s my activist base I’m sending into the gunfire. I can’t lose all my councillors.”

Zeffman explained that allies of the prime minister have launched an unusually aggressive media operation — briefing the BBC and others — because they fear a leadership crisis may be imminent. By signaling that Starmer would fiercely resist any attempt to remove him, they hope to warn Labour MPs about the political and financial chaos a leadership contest would unleash.

According to Zeffman, publicly revealing that Wes Streeting is seen as eyeing the premiership was a particularly explosive move: admitting such vulnerabilities is rare in politics. And it’s not just Streeting causing anxiety. People close to Starmer are also uneasy about the ambitions of radical new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, whose rise I reported on in September, Energy Secretary and former leader Ed Miliband, and Labour’s newly elected deputy leader Lucy Powell — whose victory itself was seen as a rebuke to Starmer.

Hot Air’s David Strom, who follows U.K. politics closely, noted that potential replacements for Starmer (from within his party) are unpopular. “Polling shows that his competitors are all on a path to lose their seats in the next elections,” he wrote. “You love to see Ed Miliband so unpopular, at least. He is the guy who is pushing the most insane Net Zero policies in the world.”

The Telegraph reported:

No 10 has tried reset after reset, including a wholesale reshuffle in September, but none has shifted the dial.

…

Many of the failings come straight from the top: the Prime Minister’s reliance on delegation, which means he can never get to grips with the detail of policies or spot potential mistakes coming down the track.

He also has poor relations with his MPs, who complain they are left out of decision-making.

Ailbhe Rea, the political editor of The New Statesman, offered a detailed analysis of the challenges currently facing Starmer.

Keir Starmer is in trouble. Behind the Prime Minister’s back in the Parliamentary Labour Party, there is now widespread mockery, sarcasm, name-calling and the darkest of gallows humour. As one despairing MP put it to me, if this is a marriage, the two sides have reached the “staying together for the kids” stage.

Labour MPs are worn down by 16 months of unpopular policies and unforced errors, from winter fuel to the welfare debacle. … Some are nervous and embarrassed to admit they are Labour MPs when out socially.

Tensions have clearly reached a fever pitch. But, by most accounts, Starmer’s replacement by another member of his liberal cabinet will do nothing to bring about the change that is so desperately needed in the U.K.

To accomplish that, they would need to turn to Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, a right-wing movement known for its hard-line stance on immigration.

A September poll showed the party’s support at 30%, and according to The New Yorker, Reform UK has topped the polls for six months.

What comes next for the UK is uncertain. But for now, the world will be watching closely as the political drama unfolds.

Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.

DONATE

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.