Starmer Vows To Prove Doubters ‘Wrong’ In Fight For Premiership

Keir Starmer has vowed to prove his doubters “wrong” in a major speech as he tries to win back the Labour MPs calling for him to quit.

The prime minister has been blamed for Labour’s shocking losses in the local elections last week, as well as the party’s poor performance in the devolved elections for the Welsh and Scottish parliaments.

But Starmer has doubled down and even insisted over the weekend he wanted to stay in the job for a decade.

In a party political speech on Monday, Starmer admitted the election results “very tough”, saying it “hurt” to lose so many Labour representatives.

He added: “I take responsibility. But it’s not just about taking responsibility for the results.

“It’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will do better and be better in the months and years ahead.

“We are not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents.”

He warned if “we don’t get this right”, the UK will “go down a very dark path”, alluding to the rising popularity of the rival parties.

The prime minister said he takes responsibility for building a “stronger and fairer” Britain, while navigating a world that is increasingly dangerous.

“I take responsibility for not walking away [and] plunging our country into chaos,” he said, with a nod to the high turnover of Conservative prime ministers.

“A Labour government would never be forgiven for inflicting that on our country again.

“I know people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics, and some people, frustrated by me.

“I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”

He claimed he will focus on growth, defence, Europe and energy next, while adding: “Stories beat spreadsheets, people need hope.”

“Like every government, we’ve made mistakes. But we got the big political choices right,” he said, pointing to Labour’s decision not to join Donald Trump’s war against Iran.

He pointed to success by bringing down NHS waiting lists, child poverty and immigration rates, while claiming, “we stabilised the economy”.

“But that’s not enough clearly,” the prime minister said. “For the British people, tired of a status quo which has failed them, change cannot come quickly enough.

“I’m sure they believe we care, I’m not sure they believe that we see their lives.

“That’s tough to say when you come from a working class background like me. because I do know what it’s like to struggle and to strive.”

The prime minister insisted neither Reform UK’s Nigel Farage nor Green Party’s Zack Polanski hold the answers to the country’s problems.

He also targeted Farage’s previous promises on Brexit, saying: “He took Britain for a ride.”

“Now he’ll talk about almost everything other than the consequences of the one policy he actually delivered, because he’s not just a grifter – he is a chancer.”

“I want to remind you what Nigel Farage said about Brexit.

“He said it would make us richer. Wrong. It made us poorer.

“He said it would reduce migration. Wrong. Migration went through the roof.

“He said it would make us more secure. Wrong again.

“He just fled the scene and now he will talk about almost anything other the consequences of what they delivered.

“He is not just a grifter, he’s a chancer.”

Starmer said: “This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe, by putting Britain at the heart of Europe, so that we are stronger on the economy, stronger on trade, stronger on defence, you name it” he adds, to applause in the room.”

He also insisted he would offer “something more” for the country’s youth, and declared “full national ownership of British steel”.

Starmer repeatedly attacked his political rivals, saying: “They want more grievance politics, more pointing at Britain’s problems not for solutions but someone to blame.”

“I don’t think that’s British. That is not the decency and respect we are known for,” he added. “This is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation and I want to be crystal clear about how we will win.”

He said they cannot win as a weaker version of Reform or the Greens, but as a “stronger version of Labour”.

Starmer also claimed he had overcome doubters many times in the past, including with Labour’s victory in 2024.

“I proved them wrong. I’m going to prove them wrong again,” he insisted.

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