Labour MPs are gathering in Liverpool for the annual party conference as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to mount a fightback against dire polling and threats to his leadership.
The prime minister said he will use the four-day event to show Labour can be an alternative to the “toxic divide and decline” offered by Reform UK, describing this as “the fight of our times”.
Sir Keir is under pressure after two separate polls predicted Nigel Farage’s party will win the next general election as voters turn their backs on mainstream politics.
It is the latest bit of bad news for the embattled prime minister, who has faced a month of scandals surrounding his top team alongside speculation Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could mount a leadership challenge.
Speaking from the conference venue on Saturday night, Sir Keir said the next few days are a “really big opportunity to make our case to the country, make it absolutely clear that patriotic national renewal is the way forward, not the toxic divide and decline that we get with Reform”.
He later insisted he could “pull things around”, telling The Sunday Times: “It is the fight of our times and we’ve all got to be in it together. We don’t have time for introspection, we don’t have time for navel-gazing.
“You’ll always get a bit of that at a Labour Party conference, but that is not going to solve the problems that face this country.
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“Once you appreciate the change – in the sense of the division that Reform would bring to our country and the shattering of what we are as a patriotic country – then you realise this is a fight which in the end is bigger than the Labour Party.”
Much of the next four days is likely to be dominated by discussions on how exactly Labour could beat Reform – and whether Sir Keir is the man for the job.
PM’s future in doubt
There has been rampant speculation Mr Burnham could mount a leadership challenge after he made a series of high-profile interventions this week, criticising the direction of the government and claiming Labour MPs had asked him to stand.
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The so-called “King of the North” has many hurdles to overcome before that could be a possibility – he would have to win a seat in Westminster through a by-election if one became available, then get 80 colleagues to back him.
One MP told Sky News that lots of backbenchers are “reluctantly coming to the conclusion” that Sir Keir’s downfall is a “not a matter of if, but when” – citing Mr Burnham or Health Secretary Wes Streeting as possible replacements
However they stressed that they did not want to see the prime minister go and hope he can turn things around ahead of the local elections in May.
Two-child benefit cap speculation
Many MPs want the prime minister to use the conference to set out a positive vision that offers hope for the future – saying his rhetoric on “tough choices” during the first 12 months backfired with the public.
The boss of Unite, Labour’s biggest union funder, has threatened to break its link with the party unless it changes direction.
In a signal the leadership is listening, there have been hints from senior ministers that the government could use the conference to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap.
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The limit is opposed by over 100 Labour MPs, both of Labour’s deputy leadership candidates and other senior party figures such as Mr Burnham and former prime minister Gordon Brown.
Two MPs who were suspended for rebelling over the measure last year – John McDonnell and Aspana Begum – had the whip reinstated on Friday.
Mr McDonnell, the shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, said he hopes “this is a signal the government has decided to scrap the cap”.
Key announcements
Sir Keir’s allies rallied round him ahead of the conference, with Business Secretary Peter Kyle claiming the prime minister received a “rapturous reception” at events he has been speaking at on Saturday.
Sir Keir will address the conference on Tuesday but there will be speeches from cabinet ministers throughout the event, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves to speak on Monday.
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The opening day will kick off with a pledge from Housing Secretary Steve Reed to construct three new towns before the next election, in Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill, north London.
In one of a number of announcements overnight, the government also said that it will underwrite a £1.5bn loan guarantee to Jaguar Land Rover as it continues to face a shutdown following a mass cyber attack.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told The Times she is pushing for a new youth mobility scheme and an improved trading relationship with the European Union in a bid to reduce the need for tax rises in the forthcoming budget.
And Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signalled a major change in immigration policy, telling The Sun on Sunday she would “reset” immigration laws so foreigners must prove their social worth before being allowed to settle in Britain.
