Keir Starmer Labels Reform as ‘The Opposition’ and Stresses Labour’s Need for Victory

Keir Starmer is set to emphasize the necessity for Labour to triumph in a ‘battle for the soul of the nation’ against Reform UK, described as ‘the enemy’, as he approaches his party conference while trailing Farage’s party by 10 points in the polls.

The Prime Minister is expected to warn dissatisfied party members that now is not the time for infighting – instead they should be uniting. 

In an interview with The Guardian prior to the crucial conference in Liverpool, he stated: ‘History will not forgive us if we fail to channel all our energy into opposing Reform. We face an adversary.

‘There is an initiative that poses harm to our nation. It fundamentally contradicts our historical values. It’s evident right before us. We must prevail in this confrontation.’

He stressed that the conference is an opportunity for Labour to reclaim patriotism from Reform. 

He also noted that he plans to ‘challenge Reform, not mimic Reform,’ following criticism from within his party alleging that the government’s stance on right-wing issues like immigration aims to compete with Farage.

The leader also insisted he would lead Labour to the next election and will urge his party to ignore speculation over his grip on power. 

His remarks are anticipated to be perceived as a slight against Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who has suggested that rebellious MPs are encouraging him to contest Starmer for the party’s leadership.

The Prime Minister is expected to warn dissatisfied party members that now is not the time for infighting, instead they should be uniting

Additionally, besides critiquing the Reform leader, he also took a swipe at his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, indicating that while Farage’s politics align with the right, Corbyn’s are aligned with the left.

The run-up to the Labour Party conference has been overshadowed by a series of scandals that forced the departures of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Britain’s ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson. 

Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is now embroiled in controversy over allegations that he ‘hid’ £730,000 in donations while running the Labour Together think-tank, despite being told he had a legal duty to declare them. 

The Prime Minister’s comments follow an exclusive survey for the Daily Mail that revealed just one year after Keir Starmer’s landslide victory, two-thirds of the public believe Labour has failed to meet their expectations.

Disillusionment is worst among working-class voters, of whom three quarters said Labour had not lived up to its promises. 

Just one per cent of working-class voters said Labour had exceeded their expectations.

Dealing with the cost-of-living crisis was identified as voters’ priority, closely followed by tackling immigration.

On the eve of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, voters polled this week delivered a withering verdict on the party’s handling of both issues.

Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves fought the election on a pledge to end the cost-of-living crisis.

But with inflation now almost twice as high as it was during the election, voters reported that they now felt worse off.

The survey revealed that the public also believed the state of the economy had become worse since Ms Reeves took charge at the Treasury. 

And after a series of scandals, voters also said the Prime Minister had failed in his pledge to ‘clean up politics’. 

Voters have little faith that Labour will tackle the illegal immigration crisis either, despite a recent toughening of language from the Prime Minister.

Just 28 per cent of people believed Labour would succeed in stopping small boats crossing the Channel, compared with 64 per cent who said they would fail.

Tellingly, the public back the return of the Rwanda deportation scheme – which was axed by Sir Keir during his first week in office last year – by a margin of 46-34.

There is also widespread scepticism about Labour’s strategy for dealing with prison overcrowding, which has led to thousands of criminals being released earlier and proposals to scrap so-called short sentences of less than a year.

Some 47 per cent of people believe the plans will increase crime levels, with just nine per cent predicting crime will fall as a result. Only 17 per cent support proposals to cut jail sentences to reduce prison overcrowding, while 51 per cent are opposed.

The poll confirms that Reform is the main electoral threat to Labour. Overall, the survey reveals that Nigel Farage’s party has 29 per cent support, well ahead of Labour on 20, the Conservatives on 15, the Lib Dems on nine and the Greens on eight.

But it also identifies a sharp contrast in popularity between Mr Farage and Sir Keir.

Some 42 per cent of voters had a favourable view of Mr Farage, compared with 37 per cent who view him unfavourably, giving him a net rating of plus five.

By contrast, Sir Keir has a net rating of minus 24, with just 27 per cent viewing him favourably, compared with more than half (51 per cent) who see him in an unfavourable light.