Keir Starmer

Labour leader Keir Starmer has ruled out fighting the next general election on issues surrounding Europe, claiming he wants to focus on “Bitain in the 2030s” rather than the views of 2016. In an interview with the Guardian, Starmer dismissed talk of campaigning on Europe in 2024 despite the Brexit deal giving a break clause […]

Members of Labour’s frontbench are preparing to rebel and resign over Keir Starmer’s instruction to vote for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. The Labour leader is facing a revolt after he said on Christmas Eve he will back the agreement even though he has doubts about the deal. His party is maintaining its stance on voting […]

A former leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party has warned Keir Starmer’s party not to put itself “on the wrong side of public opinion” with the vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP, has urged his party not to vote in support of the agreement, which would put it on […]

Cracks in the Labour’s position on Brexit have been exacerbated after its leader in Scotland backed calls for an extension. Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said he supported an extension of EU trade talks in light of the Covid-19 crisis, putting his party at odds with UK leader Sir Keir Starmer. Downing Street has until December 31 to […]

Labour leader Keir Starmer has rejected supporting calls for a Brexit extension during the coronavirus crisis – saying that he wants Boris Johnson to deliver his deal. Asked if he would support an extension, he said he wants Boris Johnson to prove he can ‘get Brexit done’ with his ‘oven-ready deal’. He explained: “I don’t want an […]

A pro-Brexit trade unionist has said that Labour adapting a rejoin policy “for the foreseeable future” would be a “suicide mission”. Paul Embery. a trade unionist with the FBU and NUJ, claimed that the Labour Party needs to accept that “we’ve got to stay out of the EU” in a warning to Keir Starmer. Speaking […]

Boris Johnson has been warned that failure to secure a deal and give parliament a vote on Brexit is playing into Keir Starmer’s hands. The Labour leader has been at pains to balance his party’s pro-European outlook with accepting the vote of the June 2016 referendum. But with Johnson’s government unable to fully commit to MPs getting […]

Tory MP Michael Fabricant was cut-off by the House of Commons speaker after he branded Labour leader Keir Starmer a “smarmy lawyer”. The Conservative politician for Lichfield used his question at Prime Minister’s Question to claim the Labour leader was looking to change the rules on Christmas. He told MPs: “Look, on the subject of […]

Sir Keir Starmer has chided Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) after he granted Dominic Cummings a £40,000 pay raise while at the same time enforcing a pay freeze on public sector workers.  In his return to the chamber since self-isolating, Sir Keir said: “Another major mistake of the past 12 months is losing public trust. “We all know what […]

Urgent talks are taking place between the leaders of the devolved administrations and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove as calls mount to scrap plans for an easing of Covid-19 restrictions over Christmas. The move comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded an urgent review into the easing of rules after leading medical journals warned […]

A Labour MP has been reprimanded by Sir Keir Starmer after accusations he suggested Boris Johnson was “recreating Nazi Germany”. Junior shadow frontbencher Bill Esterson shared a tweet suggesting the prime minister was steering the country “to a very dangerous place”. Esterton tweeted: “My dad’s family is Jewish. “We have no idea how many of […]

Keir Starmer must not be allowed to ‘fence sit’ on the big issue of the day. The leader of the opposition must stand up not only for the 48% who voted Remain but the overwhelming majority of voters and MPs (including most Labour members and voters) who opposed a no-deal or bad deal, the very […]

Sir Keir Starmer has mocked Boris Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” slogan while taking a dig at trade talks during this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir took the opportunity to question the prime minister on Brexit negotiations via teleconference after having been forced to self-isolate. He said: “12 months ago, he told the British people […]

Sir Keir Starmer will grill Boris Johnson from home as he takes part in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) remotely while isolating after a member of his office staff contracted coronavirus. The Labour leader will appear on screens in the Commons, weeks after the first virtual PMQs took place while Johnson self-isolated. This time, the prime […]

In the 12 months since the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson has seen his party’s poll lead drop from double-digits to level-pegging with Labour. The Tories had opened up a large gap in the polls by the end of 2019, boosted by the personal appeal of Johnson and a successful election campaign message of Get […]

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has insisted it would be “completely wrong” for Labour not to vote one way or the other, should the UK and EU reach an agreement, given it is the “most important issue of the day”. Shadow ministers appearing on the Sunday round of broadcast interviews repeatedly said they wanted prime […]

Boris Johnson’s majority in “Red Wall” seats could be “wiped-out” at the next general election, new polling has revealed. The Tories could lose as many as 36 out of the 45 “Red Wall” seats it won in last December’s General Election. Voters said mishandlings around the coronavirus and Johnson’s decision to stand by Dominic Cummings following […]

Weak Labour is letting itself be led by the Conservatives on Brexit.  It’s the hope that kills you. Every football fan knows the feeling. But it’s the same in politics too. Despite being kicked out of the party a while back I so hope Labour win the next election. I so hope the venality and incompetence […]

Sir Keir Starmer has said Boris Johnson has a habit of “running away” from tough issues after being confronted over Labour’s abstention from a vote on new lockdown measures. In his first session of Prime Minister’s Questions since having to self-isolate, Johnson sought to pin some of the economic turmoil behind the collapse of clothing giant Arcadia onto Labour. Johnson […]

Boris Johnson’s Covid-19 strategy poses a “significant” health risk and is “highly unlikely” to see restrictions eased in parts of the country before Christmas, Labour has claimed. Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of “over-promising and under-delivering” by pursuing an approach of short-term decisions that then “bump into the harsh reality of the virus”. […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the party would be abstaining in Tuesday’s Commons vote on the coronavirus restrictions, prompting accusations from the government the opposition is “playing politics”. Starmer said: “Coronavirus remains a serious threat to the public’s health and that’s why Labour accept the need for continued restrictions. We will always act […]

Sir Keir Starmer has said Jeremy Corbyn’s response to a damning report on anti-Semitism in Labour was “just about as bad as you can get”. The opposition leader said he was “disappointed” when his predecessor claimed the issue had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”. Corbyn was suspended from Labour over his response to the […]

Sir Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson’s government of a “clean sweep” of ministerial code breaches, as he urged the prime minister to stop “wasting” taxpayers’ cash. The Labour leader highlighted Johnson’s foreword to the code last year in which he insisted there must be no bullying, no harassment, no leaking, no misuse of taxpayer money and […]

Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has interrupted Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to remind Boris Johnson of his duty to answer queries. Sir Lindsay was forced to abruptly pause PMQs this week after to remind the prime minister that it was his responsibility to answer questions, and not pose them. The rebuke came as Johnson pressed Sir Keir Starmer […]

Labour has elected Margaret Beckett as its next National Executive Committee (NEC) chair amid controversy over how the vote was conducted. Members on the left of Labour’s ruling NEC have staged a walk-out in protest at the election of veteran MP Dame Beckett as chair. The members believe Dame Margaret’s election to the role does not […]

Labour’s chief whip has asked Jeremy Corbyn to “unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation” apologise for claiming that the scale of anti-Semitism in the party was “dramatically overstated for political reasons”. In a letter obtained by the PA news agency, Nick Brown said the former Labour leader’s response to a damning Equality and Human Rights Commission […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned that returning to a three-tiered system without fixing England’s test and trace system is “risky”. Responding to Boris Johnson’s statement on the loosening of lockdown restriction to come into effect on December 2, Sir Keir said: “The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel, the question today is […]

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL on the dilemma facing the Labour Party, if the government secures a Brexit deal with the EU. Greetings from the depression front line. There is a lot if it around. Mine, and, judging by my inbox and random encounters on rare sorties out of the house, plenty of other people’s too. Being out […]

Labour will have to live with its decision on how it votes over a Brexit deal for years to come, says DENIS MacSHANE. Forty nine years ago, 69 brave Labour MPs broke with the party’s conventional wisdom, defied the official whip, and voted to take Britain into Europe. Amongst them was a future party leader, John Smith. The […]

Boris Johnson has been swiftly condemned after failing to dismiss Priti Patel over allegations of bullying staff were proven to be true. Politicians and public figures have come out to criticise the prime minister over failing to dismiss Patel after it was proven she had broken the ministerial code of conduct in her treatment of staff. […]

The Conservatives should be a “little bit nervous” about Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party, Spectator editor Fraser Nelson has told a panel on the BBC’s Question Time. Saying he was “pretty impressed” by Starmer, Nelson was commenting on his handling of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. He explained: “I have to say I think Keir Starmer […]

Sir Keir Starmer has taken a dig at Boris Johnson and questioned the loyalty of the Tory backbench during a heated session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir said 32 backbench MPs had broken ranks to oppose the prime minister and many more had been questioning his authority. Responding to a swipe over Labour’s support the NHS Test […]