Keir Starmer says next election will be Labour v Reform with defining question ‘what is it to be British?’

More revelations about Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting have raised concerns among Labour MPs, who are also worried about the party’s prospects in the May elections

Keir Starmer has vowed he can win the next election and that it will be a battle between Labour and Reform.

More revelations about Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting had raised concerns among Labour MPs, who are also worried about the May elections.

However, speaking with The Times, the embattled PM insisted Labour could defy the odds and turn things around.

READ MORE: Keir Starmer’s former top aide urged to hire lawyers before facing MPs by Tom Watson

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Asked about winning the general election, he said: “I think we can. I think it’s going to be a very important general election. It’s likely to be Labour versus Reform. An election where the defining question is, what is it to be British? An election where what I would call patriotic values of tolerance, decency, live and let live, diversity, are under challenge like we’ve never seen before.”

The PM claimed “of course” he’s going to continue as leader, and that he had a mandate from voters. He said: “We didn’t wait 14 years to get elected, we didn’t change the Labour Party, we didn’t do all that it entailed to win the election and the mandate for change, not to deliver on it.”

It comes with his former top aide Morgan McSweeney set to appear before the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, a week on from Sir Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, who claimed he was put “under pressure” in relation to the Mandelson appointment.

Dismissing talk over his future, the PM argued these things happen in politics “all of the time”. He continued: “There is always talk. What you never hear from are all the people who are supportive, loyal and just want to get on with the job. And that is the vast majority of people in the parliamentary Labour Party.

“They’re pleased to be in power. They’ve waited a long time to be in power. And they just want to get on with their job. They don’t make a lot of noise about it. They don’t talk to journalists about it. It’s really important that is reflected in these debates.”