Keir Starmer has been interviewed by reality TV star Pete Wicks as he desperately hunts for ways to revive his political fortunes.
The PM is making what has been billed as a highly personal appearance on The Only Way is Essex alumnus’s podcast Man Made.
The pair discuss the death of Sir Keir’s brother in the programme, which focuses on modern masculinity and men’s mental health.
Downing Street has been scrabbling for ways of getting back on track after a dire first 16 months in power – and with speculation mounting about Sir Keir’s position.
Labour has been targeting influencers and podcasters in an effort to get more positive messages to the public. Prime front-row spots were reserved for ‘content creators’ at a recent Rachel Reeves speech.
The strategy has echoes of Ed Miliband’s approach during the disastrous 2015 election campaign, when he appeared on comedian Russell Brand’s YouTube show to urge people to vote.
The sense of turmoil at the heart of government escalated last week after an extraordinary briefing operation against Sir Keir’s Cabinet rivals backfired.
The PM was forced to defend his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney when Health Secretary Wes Streeting publicly attacked No10’s ‘toxic culture’ and ‘self-destruction’.
It then emerged that the premier and Chancellor Rachel Reeves had performed a shambolic U-turn on plans to increase income tax at the Budget, despite weeks of blatant hints.
A YouGov poll has found 23 per cent of Labour supporters think the party leader should quit now and elect someone else.
A further 22 per cent believe he should give up his role at some point before the next election.
Only a third, 34 per cent, said he should continue to lead the Labour Party into the contest.
Sir Keir made another attempt to shore up his position in an interview with The Mirror today.
Asked whether he would lead Labour into the next election, he said: ‘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.
‘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.’
The chat with Pete Wicks was recorded at 10 Downing Street, and is set to be released on Friday as part of Men’s Mental Health Month.
The PM is said to open up about his views on the challenges facing young men today.
He also talks about how his view on masculinity changed after becoming a father and reflects on how he coped with the tragic loss of his brother Nick.
Keir, whose brother died on Boxing Day at the age of 60, discusses being with him when he received his cancer diagnosis and balancing his duties in No10 with personal grief.
