Andrew Neil warned of a nightmare facing Sir Keir Starmer following Angela Rayner’s resignation. The veteran broadcaster said there is a “battle for the soul of the Labour Party” with the election of a new deputy leader which the Prime Minister “needs like a hole in the head”.
He added that Ms Rayner could start speaking out on the backbenches in what would be a fresh headache for Sir Keir. Mr Neil also highlighted the threat of Jeremy Corbyn’s new hard-Left party and the Chancellor unveiling what is “likely to be the most unpopular budget in living memory” at the end of October.
Speaking on Times Radio, Mr Neil said: “There is a new battle for the soul but it’s not quite clear which part of the soul the Labour leader represents and I think that’s part of the problem.
“It’s not quite clear other than a general technocratic outlook if Keir Starmer has much of a soul when it comes to politics. That’s a difficulty.
“He’s under pressure from the soft left, he’s under pressure from Blue Labour, the more socially conservative but economically quite left people.Last week was probably the worst week yet for Keir Starmer in what’s been a pretty grim first year as Prime Minister but I don’t see it getting any better for Labour.
“There’s going to be this battle for the soul of the Labour Party and the vehicle for that will be an election for the deputy leader which frankly Keir Starmer needs like a hole in the head. You’ve got all these people throwing their hats in the ring.
“Then you’ve got Angela Rayner on the backbenches, loyal for the first couple of weeks then who knows what she might start saying with some interventions. You’ve then got Jeremy Corbyn’s new party coming along, that could take another four or five percentage points off Labour.
“Then you’ve got what is likely to be the most unpopular budget in living memory so I don’t see where the good news is in the months ahead after pretty grim bad news in the weeks behind.”
Mr Neil also predicted a “historic realignment” in British politics with the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
He said: “Reform is harnessing the power of not being Labour or Conservative, that’s its real selling point.
“The disillusion with the two main parties which in years gone by would win elections with 40% of the vote, between them they can’t get 40% of the vote now and that’s before [Jeremy Corbyn’s new party] is launched. You could see Labour and Conservative both down at about 15%, that’s extinction territory for them.
“There’s a big argument how working class is Labour, Reform’s the working class party now, Reform’s far more working class than the Labour Party now. So it is a watershed but at the moment we are heading for a historic realignment and the ironic thing is I don’t think Labour or Conservative can do anything about it.”
It comes after Sir Keir began what he billed as “phase two” of his administration, focused on delivery, earlier this month.