LIVE: Starmer gives major speech to save his premiership

A decision to let Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham stand to become an MP is one for Labour’s National Executive Committee, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Sir Keir said he would block ‘far-right agitators’ from coming to the UK for a march on Saturday that he said was ‘designed to confront and intimidate’.

The Prime Minister attacked ‘grievance politics’ that he said other parties were turning to.

He said:

They want more grievance politics, more division, more pointing at Britain’s problems, looking not for solutions, but for someone to blame.

Now that’s fine if it’s me (to blame), if it’s politicians, that’s the job, but increasingly it’s not. It’s other people in this country, and I don’t think that’s British.

That is not the decency and respect that we are known for. But it’s here. That politics is with us now, and you’ll see it again on Saturday at a march designed to confront and intimidate this diversity and this diverse country.

Nigel Farage is a ‘grifter’ and a ‘chancer’, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Sir Keir said his Labour Government would be defined by putting Britain at the ‘heart of Europe’.

He said Farage was repeatedly wrong over his claims of the benefits Brexit would bring and added he now doesn’t want to talk about it.

He says:

He took Britain for a ride. He is not just a grifter, he is a chancer.

He adds:

The last government was defined by breaking our relationship with Europe.

This Labour Government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe, by putting Britain at the heart of Europe, so that we are stronger on the economy, stronger on trade, stronger on defence.

Legislation will be brought forward to take ‘full national ownership of British Steel’, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.

Turning to how the UK can take control of its ‘economic security’, Sir Keir says in Scunthorpe the Government has been negotiating with the current owner and a commercial sale has not been possible.

He tells the audience:

So I can announce that legislation will be brought forward this week to give the government powers, subject to that public interest test, to take full national ownership of British Steel. Public ownership in the public interest.

Urgent government on the side of working people, making Britain stronger with the hope of industrial renewal. That is a Labour choice.

Sir Keir admitted the Government has ‘made mistakes’ but added the UK was in a ‘much better place to come out of the conflict in Iran stronger and fairer’.

The Prime Minister said:

Of course, like every government, we’ve made mistakes. But we got the big political choices right.

I mean, if we’d listened to the advice of other parties, right now, we’d be stuck in a stand-off with Iran, having been dragged into a war that is not in our interest – and I will never do that.

We have invested in our public services, in people, in the pride of Britain’s communities. Difficult decisions funded that.

Sir Keir Starmer vowed to prove his ‘doubters’ wrong as he said Labour would ‘be better and do better’.

He says:

I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics, and some people are frustrated with me. I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong and I will.

Sir Keir Starmer begins his speech by saying the UK faces ‘dangerous opponents’.

Starmer says:

The election results last week were tough. Very tough. We lost some brilliant Labour representatives. That hurts. And it should hurt. I get it, I feel it, and I take responsibility.

“But it’s not just about taking responsibility for the results. It’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.

He then adds:

We are not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents. This hurts not just because Labour has done badly, but because if we don’t get this right, our country will go down a very dark path.

We’re just moments away now from Sir Keir Starmer’s speech inside Downing Street.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments.

A senior Labour MP has warned his colleagues against triggering a leadership contest to unseat Sir Keir Starmer.

In a statement shared with the Press Association, Nick Smith, the MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, told his colleagues: ‘Be careful what you ask for.’

In a rare public intervention, the influential backbencher added:

In their Government years the Conservative Party tore itself apart with leadership battles and our country suffered. Do we want to copy that?

The world is going through a crisis with the Iranian blockade and war in Ukraine. This has knocked our domestic economy sideways. We need calm heads to get us through this.

The Prime Minister has the right credentials to get us through these extraordinary times. We do need to reflect on the terrible results of last week, but we also need to unite.

Here are the two ways Labour could kick Sir Keir Starmer out of Downing Street.

• Formal challenge

Under the Labour Party’s rulebook, if there is no current vacancy for party leader, nominations may be sought by potential challengers.

Those seeking to replace Sir Keir must be nominated by 20 per cent of Labour MPs. The party currently has 403 MPs in the House of Commons, so each challenger will need the support of 81 MPs to force a leadership election.

Sir Keir will not be required to seek nominations should he be challenged and wish to fight on; as the sitting party leader, his name will automatically go on the ballot paper.

Those who have been Labour members for at least six months will be able to vote. Party members and affiliated supporters, such as trade union members, will then vote on a ‘one person, one vote’ basis. A candidate who receives more than half of the votes will be declared the winner.

If there are more than two candidates and none gets half of the votes, a redistribution of votes will take place according to preferences indicated on the ballot paper. The winner will then visit the King to confirm their position.

• Cabinet revolt

Perhaps a more likely way of forcing Sir Keir out would be to make it practically impossible for him to continue. A large section of the Cabinet quitting, or a huge groundswell in the parliamentary party, could be enough to convince him. That would clear the way for a wider contest, rather than requiring rivals to unite around a challenger.

Boris Johnson suffered a similar fate in 2022 when a slew of ministers quit.

Here are the Labour MPs who want him gone:

Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth); David Baines (St Helens North); Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree); Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse); Clive Betts (Sheffield South East); Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam); Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool); Richard Burgon (Leeds East); Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby); Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran); Beccy Cooper (Worthing West); Anna Dixon (Shipley); Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole); Barry Gardiner (Brent West); Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley); Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire); Imran Hussain (Bradford East); Terry Jermy (South West Norfolk); Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside); Ruth Jones (Newport West and Islwyn); Peter Lamb (Crawley); Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington); Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth); Clive Lewis (Norwich South); Rachael Maskell (York Central); Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East); John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington); Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley); Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central); Connor Naismith (Crewe and Nantwich); Simon Opher (Stroud); Sarah Owen (Luton North); Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East); Euan Stainbank (Falkirk); Josh Simons (Makerfield); Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South); Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth); Tony Vaughan (Folkestone and Hythe); Catherine West (Hornsey and Friern Barnet); Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East); Cat Eccles (Stourbridge).

by James Tapsfield, UK Political Editor

Markets are braced for Labour to lurch dramatically to the Left as Keir Starmer struggles to save himself today.

Jitters have been sparked after Angela Rayner formed an alliance with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – and laid out a manifesto of higher tax, more handouts and nationalisations.

Interest rates on 10-year gilts, one of the main ways the Government borrows money, ticked up this morning.

Rivals for No10 are circling as the PM’s grip on power weakens, with dozens of MPs openly calling for him to go following disastrous local elections.

He could face a challenge from a ‘stalking horse’ leadership candidate as soon as today, if a ‘vision’ speech at 10am fails to calm the mutiny.

Sir Keir will try to appease the Labour rank-and-file by promising to go further in unwinding Brexit.

Cabinet minister Peter Kyle said Sir Keir Starmer is ‘the right person that needs to lead us through this’ as he defended the Prime Minister remaining in place.

The Business Secretary said he accepts people are ‘fed-up’ following last week’s elections, adding: ‘Our party is convulsed by the results.’

He told Times Radio:

He is the right person that needs to lead us through this. He needs to really meet the moment that we’re in. We all need to support him in that, because he can’t do it alone.

And I’ve said this consistently since opposition, that too often people look to him as one person that can fix every problem.

Pressed on whether he wants eight more years of Sir Keir at the helm, Mr Kyle said:

I want eight years of delivering for the people of this country, led by the Prime Minister that we have now, that is actually delivering.