Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a fresh blow with Labour regional mayors turning on his administration, claiming the Government has been left looking “disjointed” and “out of touch” with the rest of the party, just one year after Labour’s landslide general election victory. And Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor for the Liverpool City Region, warned that repeated blunders by No 10 were alienating supporters and leaving many within the party deeply frustrated.
Sir Keir has endured a week to forget, having been forced into making major concessions to head off a huge rebellion by Labour MPs in the Commons over the Government’s welfare reform bill. Additionally, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has faced questions after she burst into tears during Prime Minister’s Question Time. Mr Rotheram said: “What I think has exacerbated this feeling by many, not just politicians but people around the country, who look at this and think it’s a mess. Well, it’s a mess of our own making.”
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, right, crying last week (Image: AP)
The remarks were reported by The Guardian as Labour marked 12 months in government, following Sir Keir’s sweeping win last summer on a platform of national renewal and change.
However, according to Mr Rotheram, missteps over winter fuel payments and the government’s welfare reform bill have made Downing Street look increasingly chaotic.
He said the public had been willing to tolerate the occasional misstep, but the accumulation of U-turns had started to erode confidence.
He added: “We could have avoided some of this by just listening to some of the people in the party who want to support Starmer, want to support Labour, but are finding it difficult because the mistakes are made and they could have been avoided,” he warned.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily about Keir or Keir’s team necessarily – although there are definitely some siren voices around all of that – but I do think it’s about the feeling that there’s a lack of connectivity between different bits of the party.”
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His criticism was echoed by Tracy Brabin, the Labour mayor of West Yorkshire, who expressed concern that Starmer’s government had failed to prioritise regional devolution – a key promise during Labour’s campaign.
“The devolution revolution has been all too quickly forgotten by some Government departments,” she said, despite regional mayors “driving incredible change for our communities bringing growth, hope and optimism”.
Ms Brabin, a former shadow culture secretary, said Labour had a “once in a generation” chance to win back the trust of disillusioned voters, but that it could only succeed if mayors were given the powers and backing they needed.
She said: “People lost confidence in politicians’ ability to improve their lives. We need to show them that we’re serious about fixing that.”
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram (Image: Getty)
Oliver Coppard, the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire, struck a more conciliatory tone but still made clear his frustrations. “I want things to go better, of course I do, because what’s good for South Yorkshire is good for this country and vice versa,” he said.
While Mr Coppard acknowledged that ministers were “genuinely interested” in supporting his work, he said there was a stark contrast between the promises made and the reality.
He described his experiences with the Government as “chalk and cheese” compared with the “absolute shambles” under the Conservatives, but warned that good intentions alone were not enough.
He said: “The difference is I think this Government listens and I hope this Government learns. That certainly seems to be the case.”
In response to the growing unrest, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has pledged to extend devolution across England. New combined authorities are due to be established in Cumbria, Cheshire, Essex, Hampshire, East Anglia and Sussex, with elections for metro mayors scheduled for 2026. A further scheme in Lancashire is also in the pipeline.
According to the Institute for Government, the plans could represent “the start of a generational shift in power” away from Whitehall.
But Mr Rotheram insisted Labour needed to make better use of the mayors it already had.
He explained: “My message is that we are here to help. There are things we can all do that will help the party demonstrate its economic competence. We haven’t been used as much as we could and should have been, and hopefully we will in the future.”
The comments underline growing tensions between No 10 and Labour’s regional leadership – and suggest discontent is mounting within the party’s own ranks.