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Sir Keir Starmer has ended a painful political year by admitting that speculation about a leadership coup is “rife” and complaining about how long it takes him to get things done.
The UK prime minister finishes 2025 with his approval ratings at rock bottom, Labour languishing below 20 per cent in the polls and with his own MPs debating whether he can survive in Downing Street until the end of next year.
Starmer was questioned by MPs on Monday on a series of leaks relating to his leadership and was challenged on whether he could confirm where they were coming from. “No, I’m not sure I can,” he said. “It seems to be pretty rife.”
That comment drew laughter from MPs on the House of Commons liaison committee, but Starmer’s frustration in the end-of-term hearing about his record in office was evident.
Asked about his biggest regret after almost 18 months in office, Starmer said: “Speed. And the ability to get things done in parliament.”
Starmer said he had discovered that whenever a previous government had got into trouble, it installed new regulations, arm’s-length bodies or consultative mechanisms to try to stop the same thing happening in future.
He said he was cutting regulation and quangos to try to streamline delivery mechanisms, but admitted: “The action from pulling the lever to delivery is longer than I think it ought to be.”
Starmer faced repeated questions about the alleged ill discipline of some of his own team, after Downing Street aides last month instigated stories suggesting the prime minister could soon face a leadership challenge.
Many Labour MPs believe such a challenge is inevitable after what is expected to be a dismal round of elections next May to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and English councils.
Potential challengers could include Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, Ed Miliband, former Labour leader, Angela Rayner, former deputy prime minister, and Wes Streeting, health secretary.
The disgruntlement among Labour MPs stems not just from Starmer’s lacklustre performance but from a major reshuffle in September, which saw dozens of ministers sacked or moved unexpectedly to new jobs.
Among those left bruised was Ian Murray, former Scotland secretary, who has revealed that his wife was “absolutely fucking furious” when he was demoted.
Murray was removed from the cabinet and given a more junior role in the departments of culture and science.
In an interview with Holyrood, a political magazine, he said the “hardest part” was a complete lack of recognition for doing a half-decent job and a lack of explanation for the sacking. “I didn’t think I deserved the public humiliation of it all,” he said.
In an illustration of the government’s difficulties in moving at the pace they would like, defence secretary John Healey side-stepped questions from MPs on Monday about whether his Defence Investment Plan would still be delivered before Christmas.
The DIP, which will detail how the government will transform the armed forces over the next decade, has been beset by disagreements among the service chiefs over which parts of the armed forces to prioritise.
Asked if the DIP was still expected before Christmas, Healey said only that the MoD was “working flat out until the end of this year”.