Sir Keir Starmer is making active preparations for the next election to go head-to-head with Nigel Farage. The prime minister admitted his attention has shifted away from the Conservative Party and over to Reform UK, which is currently head and shoulders above the other parties in the polls.
The recent landslide local election results “coincides with [Labour’s] thinking”, the prime minister said, as they gear up for a lengthy battle with Reform. “We were planning on the basis we were likely to be facing Reform at the next election in any event,” Sir Keir told The Sun. He explained that Mr Farage’s recent gains have taught the governing party a lesson, as well as being eye-opening for the Tories.
On May 1, Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch faced a major blow to her party, losing control of councils and hundreds of seats.
“I think the Tory Party is a busted flush,” stated Sir Keir. “They haven’t learnt the lessons of the last General Election. They have no idea where they are heading.
“And they have got a leader who is showing no leadership.”
He added that recent election results have encouraged his party to “deliver change”.
“We need to make sure people feel that change in their pockets and in their everyday lives. That is what I am intent on delivering,” he told the newspaper.
His attack on the Tories follows a polling setback for Labour who are a whopping 13 points behind Reform, according to Find Out Now.
Sir Keir’s party is down one on 20%, while the Conservatives trail behind in third place on 16%, down three.
The polling follows Mr Farage’s gain of 10 town halls and 676 councillors, as well as winning two key mayoral elections and a fifth MP in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.
Another set of data last week from YouGov shows just 17% of Brits would vote Conservative if a General Election was held tomorrow – this is the party’s lowest score for six years when Boris Johnson was the prime minister.
Responding to the poll, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said: “RECORD REFORM POLL – 33%. Now 17% ahead of disappearing Tories.”
“Vote Reform get Reform. Vote Tory get Labour.”