Keir Starmer under fire from Labour MPs after byelection loss to Reform UK
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/02/keir-starmer-under-fire-labour-mps-byelection-loss-reform-uk
Posted by potpan0
Keir Starmer under fire from Labour MPs after byelection loss to Reform UK
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/02/keir-starmer-under-fire-labour-mps-byelection-loss-reform-uk
Posted by potpan0
33 Comments
It’s almost as if copying what the Tories have done for 14 years is not the smartest play when they have had their worst defeat in more than a century.
> “Everyone seemed convinced we were going to win by a reasonably comfortable margin. The NHS message does not work against Farage, but the centre wouldn’t hear it, or the fact that Keir’s unpopularity was brought up on almost every door.”
If the leadership team were genuinely convinced they were going to win comfortably and they ended up losing it, that’s a pretty damning sign of how out of touch they are. Doubly so when Starmer’s response to this loss has been to insist that… [Labour need to keep doing what they’re currently doing without change](https://labourlist.org/2025/05/keir-starmer-local-election-results-runcorn-defeat/)…
Fundamentally it gets to the point that when a party’s leader is so unpopular that the party intentionally keep them away from campaigning… why keep them as leader?
Massively cut immigration to sensible levels, which they have complete control over via the visas they issue or Reform will be part of the next Government either as the largest party or kingmaker.
I doubt buying up houses for Asylum seekers while cutting benefits and taking away Winter Fuel Payments is a vote winner either.
Probably less his fault and more the fault of the MP who punched a constituent tbh
I had Labour knocking on my door at 11 in the morning yesterday, three and a half hours after I had cast my vote. I felt genuinely sorry for the guy when I told him that I hadn’t voted for labour and that I couldn’t stand them: I thought he was going to cry!
When you have a Cabinet made up of Liz Kendall, Ed Milliband, Rachel Reeves and Angela Raynor you may as well hand the keys to number 10 to Nigel.
It’s incredible that Kiers response has been to keep going with the same plan and the MPs are arguing that the party needs to lurch to the left.
Anything and everything that isn’t addressing public concerns over immigration.
To turn it around you have to:
1. Sack Reeves and put in a Chancellor who believes in Keynesian economics and can see you are able to borrow to create jobs. Her decision to impose a tax on jobs was just insane.
2. Sack Kendall she has a record of being a closet Tory and doesn’t have any understanding of how to get disabled people and NEET back into work. Welfare reform isn’t about just cutting benefits it’s about creating incentives to employ disabled people. So for example the recent decision to cut the Access To Work Scheme that funds adaptations to workplaces is just lunacy.
3. Immigration – adopt the Australia model as a first. Deterrence works.
4. Net Zero – End this obsession repeal the law. We need a new law A Net Zero Transition Strategy. This has to include micro nuclear power and we just tell the public it’s happening. Energy security is too important to be left hostage to extreme activists. We live in a representative democracy not a full democracy. Milliband will never do this so he has to go. We can’t be made responsible for temperature increases being caused by Indian and Chinese rapid industrialisation and American refusal to accept Climate Change exists. Voters aren’t stupid. They see we’ve done massive amounts while they do nothing and we’re being asked to continually foot the bill.
Immigration. All they need to do is focus on that (and do something about it) rant about it like they do on GB news and they will beat reform
Labour needs to be actually be Socialist, implement changes that bring improvements to the majority of voters, and not just Tories in suits with red ties.
Labour campaigners: every doorstep said they were angry about removing the WFA and attacking the disabled
Keir ; we need to double down and go further, faster.
Labour didn’t canvas in my area (Aylesbury Vale) or if they did, they didn’t bother with my street and it was a nightmare trying to find what the local councillors were running for both for my area and Bucks as a whole.
In the end I went Lib Dem because they did canvas and they were running on simple local issues (better roads, more police, maintenance of green spaces) because this place is a shit hole and has been for years under Tory rule
He’s a shown himself to be a prick who needs to leave. Labour gone from a very popular party at the GE, to now having a really negative approval rating. A lot of the decisions the party have made under him have alienated Labour supports (like myself), and turned them away from the party.
To state the obvious, this all stems from Brexit – it was a green flag for the electorate to let its freak flag fly.
They’re now openly ‘saying’ what was only articulated at work’s drinks, on the golf course and at football matches.
Keir and the rest of Labour just don’t want to admit there is an immigration problem.
The message from the public is loud and clear. We’ve had enough immigration.
Short of holding a referendum on the issue, I don’t know what else we can do in a democracy.
If they don’t start changing policy now, they won’t be able to reverse the trends quick enough for it to matter. They might only have a few weeks left to action this. They are a year in now and things have only got worse. Even if they 10x deportations and immediately stop hotels/free housing, I am not sure if it’s enough.
There is only one way out of this for Labour. Tax the super rich and use the money to help the public. Make people’s lives better and they will vote for you. All reform have to offer is empty promises.
Going to keep posting this Tony Benn quote today:
“If the Labour Party could be bullied or persuaded to denounce its Marxists, the media – having tasted blood – would demand next that it expelled all its Socialists […] to form a harmless alternative to the Conservatives, which could then be allowed to take office now and then when the Conservatives fell out of favour with the public. Thus British Capitalism, it is argued, will be made safe forever, and socialism would be squeezed of the National agenda. **But if such a strategy were to succeed… it would in fact profoundly endanger British society. For it would open up the danger of a swing to the far-right, as we have seen in Europe over the last 50 years.**” –
I can’t believe we stood here and let this obvious fucking plant go in, sabotage Corbyn and then proceed to run Labour into the fucking ground utterly destroying what it represented. He and his cronies are entirely to blame for Farage’s enormous success and the absolute shit show we are in now.
I’m just sat here — swing voter but generally centre left; white, straight, lower middle-class — economising, not subscribed to any services, saving, blundering along into my thirties wondering if there will ever be boring political stability in my life again.
Labour are bought by big business in the sectors which the public need them to change.
Because they are the donors, no change, therefore public gets mad… reform get in. It certainly looks that way from what we’re seeing.
Well, now that he knows trying to cosy up to the right doesn’t work, maybe he could stop?
Can you imagine the accusations from the right if Labour had won by 6 votes though?
It’d be a “WEF steal” or something. Something hyperbolic anyway.
He used trans and lgbt to garner support from the left pre election and now he’s dropped us.
Who’d vote for a traitor
By elections are always so weird because if literally less than 10 people had voted the other way the narrative would be completely different.
(Not that Starmer can really complain, he benefitted from a similar situation with Batley and Spen).
I’m sure Labour is moving cogs in the background but it honestly feels like not a lot has happened other than costs going up.
I don’t feel better under labour therefore my monkey brain says don’t vote for them next election.
I didn’t even vote reform but naturally with the Tories imploding that’s the right alternative to Labour so naturally people will flock to them.
Starmers got to invest in better PR and actually start manifesting positive change soon else Labour will be out for probably a lot longer than 1 term
I voted Labour in last year’s GE and like many others have been bitterly disappointed.
Cutting disability to the most vulnerable in society while being completely spineless on preventing illegal immigration and smearing a large chunk of the electorate as ‘Far right’ for being rightfully concerned about the impact on their communities.
Awful, awful man. Never voting Labour again.
Winter fuel payment, pip cuts and higher taxes and the elephant in the room ( immigration) labour are toast. They can kiss the next 15 yrs goodbye
The problem is it’s become a soundbite or popularity vote
Reform have got fuck all in terms of decent policies but people are voting for less immigration it seems
Wow who knew that very obviously unpopular policies would be unpopular.
Y’know what’ll be really interesting to find out is how many Labour voters have been disenfranchised from voting. As a trans person, someone who believes we should help the disabled and someone who considers themselves not interested in voting for Tories in red ties, I know I didn’t turn out for them here in East Yorks.
You cannot out right wing the right and you shouldn’t try
I can’t believe preparing free private housing for millions of illegals days before the election didn’t go down well with people.
Who knew centrist right wing appeasement would backfire