Starmer: government made ‘unnecessary mistakes’
Starmer said he would be “setting out with clarity the convictions and values that drive me” in the coming days, as he seeks to reset his leadership.
Speaking from south London this afternoon, he said the government has made “unnecessary mistakes”.
“One of which was that we, rightly in my view, levelled with the public about the challenges that we face as a country both on the finances and internationally – but what we didn’t do is enough to convince them about the change that would impact them, how their lives would be better.
“The hope wasn’t there enough in the first two years of this government.
“That’s why it’s important for me now to set out where hope resides. It resides in our young people having the future to go as far as their talent or ability will take them – to genuinely have that because if you’ve grown up in poverty, you don’t get that chance.”
Key events
Mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions
As we’ve been reporting, Labour suffered heavy losses across England, Scotland and Wales, losing ground to opponents on the left and the right in a fragmented political system.
The graphics in this piece form my colleagues Alex Clark, Ashley Kirk and Michael Goodier show where Labour’s losses were most severe, and how the electoral landscape has changed as a result.
We have also heard from the leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwert, who hailed a “new beginning” after Labour was booted from power in Wales after 27 years.
He said no prime minister “can cast Wales aside or turn a blind eye to our needs” in a victory speech on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff.
“This is history made by the people of Wales,” he said.
“It has been an honour to work on this campaign, but this campaign could only build on the work that has been done over a century of believing in our nation’s future.”
Downing Street has released some images of Keir Starmer’s talks this morning with Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman, both of whom have been given new jobs in government:
Starmer: government made ‘unnecessary mistakes’
Starmer said he would be “setting out with clarity the convictions and values that drive me” in the coming days, as he seeks to reset his leadership.
Speaking from south London this afternoon, he said the government has made “unnecessary mistakes”.
“One of which was that we, rightly in my view, levelled with the public about the challenges that we face as a country both on the finances and internationally – but what we didn’t do is enough to convince them about the change that would impact them, how their lives would be better.
“The hope wasn’t there enough in the first two years of this government.
“That’s why it’s important for me now to set out where hope resides. It resides in our young people having the future to go as far as their talent or ability will take them – to genuinely have that because if you’ve grown up in poverty, you don’t get that chance.”
Starmer: ‘I’m not going to walk away from this’
Keir Starmer is now speaking to the BBC on Labour’s losses in the election.
“I’m not going to walk away from this, that would plunge the country into chaos,” the prime minister said.
“But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to respond. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to rebuild. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need to set out the path ahead.
“That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”
We have another Labour MP in Norfolk calling for the departure of the prime minister.
Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk (Liz Truss’s old stomping ground) said the local election results were “disappointing” and that people were “not feeling the change promised by the government”.
“It is clear the Labour government needs to review the pace of change, what we are prioritising, and how we are delivering it,” he said in a statement.
“Keir Starmer, as leader of our party, needs to consider whether he is the right person to take the party and the government forward.”
Jermy’s statement follows comments by Labour’s Norwich South MP, Clive Lewis, who said “greater damage” could be caused if Starmer remains in charge. Labour lost control of Norwich city council to the Green party.
“The local election results in Norwich, despite Labour’s excellent track record at the city council, and across the country, make this an existential moment for Labour,” Lewis said.
“This will not be fixed by another speech, another comms reset, or another reshuffle.”
He added: “The prime minister has reached the point where the question is no longer whether he can recover.
“It is whether, by staying on, he does lasting damage to Labour’s ability to govern, rebuild trust and stop the advance of the right.
“That is why a timetable for his departure is now necessary. The longer this is delayed, the greater the damage to the party and the country.”
Speaking of Scottish independence, Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said that, actually, the SNP does not have the mandate to hold a second referendum.
His reasoning was that the SNP did not gain a majority at Holyrood.
PA has reported more on his comments from Edinburgh this morning:
(John Swinney) said if the SNP got a majority that would give him a mandate.
They didn’t, they went backwards in vote share numbers of MSPs elected to the SNP.
So, they’ve actually got no mandate for doing that and I really hope they won’t allow Scottish politics to be distracted by that.
Yet again, there’s so many serious issues. People are really struggling and can’t get GP appointments, they can’t afford the food on the table, they can’t afford their energy bills.
Surely a responsible government will ensure this new parliament focuses on things like matter to families and pensioners and businesses across Scotland.
In Scotland, Green co-leader Ross Greer said his party and the SNP have a joint “mandate to deliver” a second vote on independence.
The Scottish parliament has its highest ever number of MSPs who support independence, with 73 MSPs from the SNP and Scottish Greens
“Independence is urgently needed,” Greer told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast, adding that his party “went into this election committed to achieving Scottish independence, and full membership of the European Union”.
He added: “I want the next prime minister – because let’s be honest, it is not going to be Keir Starmer for very long – the next prime minister needs to respect the people of Scotland have made this choice.
“We are a democratic country, people should be able to get what they want at an election. A majority of the parliament are from pro-independence parties and there is an urgent need for this.”
A flurry of news on the elections this morning, let’s head to Wales for a moment.
The Wales Green party leader, Anthony Slaughter, said he is “open to having conversations” with Plaid Cymru over the next Welsh government.
Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the new Senedd but fell short of attaining a majority.
“We welcome the defeat of Reform and congratulate Plaid Cymru on their result – this is a victory for everyone who wanted to keep Reform’s divisive, Trumpian politics out of Wales,” Slaughter said in a statement.
“We are a welcoming nation – and Wales needs to stay a place where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and can thrive.
“When it comes to the next government of Wales, we are open to having conversations, but no decisions have been made at this point.
“In any negotiations we will be looking to deliver on the Green objectives that people voted on in this election – including action to address the cost-of-living crisis, protecting our NHS, fixing the renting crisis and restoring our natural environment.”
To find out what happened in your area in Thursday’s elections, head to our results tracker here:
On Harriet Harman’s appointment as adviser on women and girls, Starmer said:
Harriet is a strong advocate for women and girls and I know she will deliver greater opportunity for women in public life.
I’m committed to tackling structural misogyny that is a barrier for too many women and girls. I look forward to working with Harriet to drive forward action on this important issue.
Starmer: Brown will ‘build a stronger Britain’
Keir Starmer has issued a brief statement on social media about Gordon Brown’s return to government.
He said: “Today I’m pleased to appoint Gordon Brown as my special envoy on global finance and cooperation.
“As Britain’s longest-serving chancellor, Gordon is well placed to work with our international allies to build a stronger Britain and boost our country’s security and resilience.”
Another Labour MP has joined calls for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.
Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership” before next year’s local elections.
He said the party was “hamstrung” by Starmer’s association with Labour’s mistakes in office including winter fuel cuts, benefits reform, the prime minister’s comments on Gaza and appointment of Peter Mandelson.
Writing on X, Vaughn said:
We have to get on with the job we were elected to do. But we are hamstrung if we continue to be led by the personification of earlier – serious – mistakes. We must give the public a Labour leader with a clear vision, conviction and the ability to inspire if we are to stand any chance of turning things around.
So I strongly believe that there must be an orderly transition of leadership well before the local elections next year. Otherwise, we are conceding defeat to Farage before we have even started.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has mocked Keir Starmer over Gordon Brown’s return to government.
“An unpopular prime minister who lost a general election is now seen by Starmer as being the saviour. Labour are doomed,” he wrote on X.
We have more from Downing Street on Brown’s appointment as special envoy on global finance.
He will be tasked with developing new international finance partnerships that can support defence and security-related investment, including measures that underpin the UK’s relationship with Europe.
As part of the role he will engage with international leaders and finance institutions as well as private finance partners to establish multilateral finance mechanisms.
The former prime minister, who steered the country through the 2008 financial crash and was also the longest serving chancellor of the modern era, has consistently thrown his support behind Starmer through various dramas (most recently the Peter Mandelson saga).
