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dispatches 2026 03 27 keir starmer where did it all go wrong
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00:04It was supposed to be a fresh start for Britain.
00:08Our country has voted decisively for change.
00:13After 14 years of Tory government that descended into political soap opera,
00:19Keir Starmer promised to bring stability.
00:22There was a really clear mission statement to try and fix Britain,
00:26to stop the chaos and to have the grown-ups back in the room.
00:30We have a huge amount of work to do.
00:32Armed with one of the largest majorities in British political history,
00:37Starmer had a clear mandate for change.
00:40His campaign around the concept of change
00:42was simply about getting rid of the old
00:45without really understanding what the new meant.
00:48But what did he mean by change?
00:51Because nearly two years down the line,
00:53the political landscape is anything but stable.
00:57With unpopular policies...
00:59Shame on you, Keir Starmer.
01:02..alienating even his own backbenchers...
01:05The removal of the winter fuel allowance landed like a bucket of sick.
01:10..losing voters left and right.
01:13Their argument is, we've got to out-reform reform.
01:15We've alienated everyone.
01:18..and flawed decision-making.
01:20Nobody knew what Peter was up to.
01:23It was a huge, jaw-dropping shock.
01:25Critics say that Keir Starmer is simply more of the same.
01:30It was almost impossible to discern
01:33what Keir Starmer's plans for government were.
01:37Keir Starmer is someone with a really deep-rooted sense
01:39of what he believes to be right and fair.
01:41And now the war in the Middle East
01:43is tearing apart old alliances
01:46and causing turmoil in the special relationship.
01:49I consider President Trump's remarks
01:51to be insulting and, frankly, appalling.
01:54This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with.
01:58The Westminster vultures are circling the Prime Minister.
02:01Next month's local elections could spell the end for Keir Starmer.
02:06Will he become the sixth Prime Minister
02:08in just ten years to lose his job?
02:11And is it his fault,
02:12or has Britain simply become ungovernable?
02:27Whether you voted Labour or not,
02:31we will carry the responsibility of your trust
02:35as we rebuild our country.
02:40The town of Ramsgate on the North Kent coast
02:43is typical of many of Britain's economically struggling coastal towns.
02:49My government will serve you.
02:53Politics can be a force for good.
02:57We will show that.
02:58A former Conservative stronghold,
03:01Labour won big here in 2024,
03:03with a 16% swing,
03:05receiving 40% of the vote.
03:08But was that victory all that it seemed?
03:14What happens in 2024
03:16in this constituency in East Thanet?
03:18The Labour vote,
03:19in numerical terms,
03:21actually goes down.
03:23Labour only win
03:24because of the collapse in the Tory vote.
03:27And that is something that you see
03:28in place after place after place.
03:32After 14 years of Tory rule,
03:34for many, Labour was seen as the least worst,
03:37the default option.
03:39That massive figure has been delivered
03:42with a relatively small percentage of the people.
03:45That looks like love,
03:47but that is a loveless landslide.
03:50The idea of Labour winning
03:52what has been dubbed a loveless landslide
03:54is supported by an exclusive new opinion poll
03:57conducted for this programme.
04:0054% of voters
04:02said that Labour and Keir Starmer
04:04won the last election
04:06simply because the alternative options were worse.
04:11Keir Starmer won
04:12a big, historic election victory
04:15by talking about change.
04:17But to govern,
04:18you need something slightly different.
04:20A plan.
04:22While there was a plan
04:23to win the general election,
04:25there wasn't a plan for government.
04:27So I think a lot of people thought
04:29Labour had a secret plan
04:31that they were going to implement
04:32after polling day,
04:33and there wasn't one.
04:36Previous landslide-winning prime ministers
04:39have had a clear and coherent vision
04:41for governing.
04:42Whether it was Margaret Thatcher's plan
04:45to roll back the frontiers of the state,
04:47Tony Blair and his new Labour, Third Way,
04:50or David Cameron's big society
04:53and austerity programme,
04:55they were all driven
04:56by a distinct set of political principles.
05:00I've never known
05:01whether Keir has got any form of ideology.
05:04I don't know what he stands for
05:07or what he wants to do in government.
05:10I don't think the country
05:12has a clear sense
05:13of what Keir Starmer's political mission is.
05:18If I'm honest,
05:18I don't know if the Labour Party
05:19has a clear sense of what that is,
05:21and I'm not even sure
05:23if he and his team
05:25have a clear sense of what that is.
05:28I fear that Keir Starmer believed
05:31that it was enough
05:33simply to be more decent,
05:36more public-spirited,
05:37basically a better person
05:39than the evil Tories,
05:41and that his decency,
05:44as he saw it,
05:45combined with an appetite
05:47on the part of the country for change
05:49would be enough.
05:50But it's never enough.
05:52If you want to succeed in government,
05:55you need to have a plan for government.
05:58In private,
05:59even those who work closely
06:01with the Prime Minister
06:01say he lacks any real interest
06:03in a political ideology,
06:05that he is almost passive.
06:10There is a paradox about the man.
06:13He is almost uniquely uninterested
06:15in political ideas.
06:17Cabinet colleagues say the same thing,
06:18which is that he has reached
06:20the apex of our politics,
06:21whilst at the same time,
06:23more than any other Prime Minister
06:24I can think of,
06:25being fundamentally anti-political.
06:32I think he's in politics
06:33because he wants to make
06:34the country better.
06:36And I think that that is...
06:37I mean, that's it.
06:39I don't think there's a detailed
06:41sort of Starmer philosophy.
06:45I think the Prime Minister
06:46took a proudly pragmatic approach
06:48to these things.
06:49His view was, I think,
06:50that visions were for profits.
06:52And actually,
06:53he deliberately travelled
06:54fairly ideologically light.
06:58The truth is,
07:00you don't have a set of ideas
07:02which binds your cabinet together,
07:04which binds your party together,
07:05which tells your MPs,
07:06which tell the public
07:07what you're all about.
07:09Then guess what?
07:10Division starts to creep in.
07:12And every tiny little crisis
07:14seems to blow you off course
07:16all the worse
07:17because you, the party,
07:20and the public
07:21don't know where you're going.
07:25Our new opinion poll
07:26seems to confirm this view.
07:28Voters were asked to describe
07:30Keir Starmer
07:31in one word of their choice.
07:33Incompetent, useless and weak
07:35were the words most frequently used
07:37to describe the PM.
07:39Pragmatic and good
07:40also came up,
07:42though, in smaller numbers.
07:45It's a less than stellar verdict
07:47for the man who promised
07:48to make politics work
07:50for the people once again.
07:52So what was the response
07:54when we asked voters
07:55what they thought
07:56Keir Starmer stood for?
07:58Nothing was the top answer.
08:04Keir went from
08:05our second worst ever election result
08:09to our third best election result
08:11in one parliamentary period.
08:14So five years.
08:16That is an extraordinary achievement.
08:18And in a sense,
08:19he didn't have time
08:21to lay the groundwork.
08:22There wasn't a lot of time
08:24for preparation.
08:25I think what's been
08:26a mystery to many of us
08:28given how long
08:29the current Labour government
08:30had in opposition
08:31to prepare for power
08:32is that it does feel
08:34like there was
08:35a lack of really
08:36detailed planning
08:37and a sense
08:38that actually
08:39incoming ministers
08:40didn't have their programs
08:42worked out.
08:45But Starmer
08:46sees himself differently
08:47as a calm,
08:48considered problem solver.
08:50The ideology
08:50isn't the solution
08:52but the problem
08:53that what drives him
08:54is opportunity
08:55for kids
08:55from backgrounds
08:56like his own.
08:58When you hear him
08:59talk about
08:59the power of education,
09:01the belief that
09:02where you're from
09:03shouldn't determine
09:04what you go on
09:04to achieve in life
09:05and this real sense
09:07that working people
09:08have lost out
09:09in recent decades,
09:11I think that really does
09:13motivate him,
09:14that really does inspire him.
09:15Make you go, go, go, go, go, go.
09:18Good intentions
09:19are one thing
09:20but do the public
09:21even his own cabinet
09:23know what his plan
09:24for government is.
09:29He's the top boss
09:30and he has all of the people
09:32reporting into him
09:33basically all his cabinet
09:34and they all control
09:36a particular area
09:37and he doesn't want
09:39to be bothered
09:40with quite a lot
09:41of the intricacies
09:42of what they're dealing with
09:43and he hates having
09:44to adjudicate
09:45disagreements between them.
09:47So everyone has had
09:48their own individual strategy
09:50but there's been
09:51very little leadership
09:52from the top
09:53to pull it all together.
09:55He certainly had
09:56plenty on his plate
09:57and a sometime
09:58hostile media to boot
10:00but without that leadership
10:02voters are inevitably
10:03left wondering
10:04what to make
10:05of the Prime Minister.
10:06Our exclusive
10:07new opinion poll
10:08suggests there's
10:09widespread confusion
10:10among the public
10:11over the direction
10:13and Keir Starmer
10:13is taking the country.
10:15Nearly two in three voters
10:17said that Labour
10:18did not have
10:19a clear plan
10:20for government.
10:23So the public
10:24are confused
10:25about the man.
10:26His own colleagues
10:27are confused as well.
10:28What exactly
10:29did Keir Starmer mean
10:30when he said
10:31he would bring change?
10:33Perhaps in his own mind
10:34what he really meant
10:35was himself
10:36that he would have
10:37more integrity,
10:38be more competent,
10:39bring more stability,
10:41decency over ideology.
10:43Given the scale
10:44of Britain's
10:45financial problems
10:46which he'd inherited
10:47it was never
10:48going to be enough.
10:50We have inherited
10:51a projected overspend
10:52of £22 billion.
10:54A £22 billion hole
10:56in the public finances
10:58now.
10:58Not in the future
10:59but now.
11:01The first big outings
11:03were Rachel Reeve
11:05saying it's all
11:06doom and gloom
11:06and actually
11:07everything is terrible
11:09and this is going
11:10to be really difficult
11:10and everyone was like
11:11oh right
11:12but we just
11:13we thought
11:13things were going
11:14to get better
11:14because we just
11:15voted for change.
11:17Over the next 18 months
11:19the new government
11:19seemed to stumble
11:20from crisis
11:21to crisis
11:22with confusion
11:23over Keir Starmer's vision
11:25and a lack
11:26of clear direction
11:27resulting in rebellion
11:28among his MPs
11:30and the public alike.
11:32Leading to devastating
11:34flagship policy U-turns.
11:36It's a mistake.
11:37Admit it.
11:38And the Prime Minister's
11:43own personal judgment
11:45being called
11:46into question.
11:58Just weeks
11:59after the new
12:00Labour government
12:01swept her power
12:01in 2024
12:02the Chancellor
12:03Rachel Reeves
12:04made her first
12:05policy announcement.
12:07But it wasn't
12:08the brave
12:09new door
12:10Labour supporters
12:11were hoping for.
12:13Today I am making
12:15the difficult decision
12:15that those not in receipt
12:17of pension credit
12:18or certain other
12:19means-tested benefits
12:20will no longer receive
12:21the winter fuel payment
12:22from this year onwards.
12:24The kind of
12:25debut policy announcement
12:27was the winter fuel
12:27allowance
12:28which was
12:28such a bad
12:31policy
12:31policy
12:32and it felt
12:32so anti-Labour.
12:34Winter fuel
12:35come no way!
12:36People were
12:37very, very angry.
12:38You're taking
12:39off money
12:39from the most
12:40vulnerable
12:41members of our
12:42society
12:42and
12:43that
12:44landed
12:45like a bucket
12:46of sick.
12:47Shame on you
12:48this, Donna.
12:50Shame on you!
12:51Shame on you!
12:53As public anger
12:54grew, 52 Labour MPs
12:56refused to back
12:57the government
12:57on winter fuel
12:58payments, exposing
12:59deep division
13:01inside the party.
13:03A lot of backbenchers
13:04were very unhappy
13:06and the fact it
13:06wasn't even included
13:08in our manifesto
13:09was what made people
13:11very angry at that
13:12time as well.
13:13But a full
13:14ten months
13:15later, under
13:16mounting pressure
13:17from his own
13:18backbenchers,
13:19the Prime Minister
13:19backed down.
13:21As the economy
13:22improves, we want
13:23to ensure that
13:24as we go forward,
13:25more pensioners
13:26are eligible
13:27for winter fuel
13:28payments.
13:31Keir Starmer
13:32landed his
13:32government with a
13:33label that would
13:34come to haunt
13:35his early months
13:36in office.
13:37U-turn.
13:38I think it
13:39became clear
13:40over time that
13:41the winter fuel
13:41allowance was
13:42deeply unpopular,
13:43not removing it
13:44from those who
13:44are millionaires
13:46because there's
13:46an obvious point
13:47of fairness there,
13:48but where unfortunately
13:49we did end up
13:49squeezing people
13:50a bit further down
13:51the income chain
13:52and they really
13:52felt it.
13:53We did make
13:54the right call
13:54and moved
13:55into a better
13:55position.
13:57The U-turn
13:58on winter fuel
13:58payments alone
13:59is estimated
14:00to have cost
14:00the government
14:01£1.3 billion
14:02a year,
14:03but it wasn't
14:04a one-off.
14:06In the months
14:07that followed,
14:08U-turns became
14:08almost routine,
14:10as did rebellions
14:11from the back
14:12benches,
14:13the Prime Minister's
14:13authority eroded
14:15fast.
14:17Political capital
14:18was quickly
14:19squandered with
14:20MPs and public
14:21alike over
14:22pensioners and
14:24winter fuel,
14:25over disabled
14:25people and
14:26welfare reform,
14:27over farmers
14:28and inheritance
14:29tax.
14:30It wasn't
14:31thought out
14:32and it's a
14:33mistake.
14:34Admit it.
14:35And back down!
14:44Starmer's initial
14:44refusal to lift
14:45the two-child
14:46benefit cap
14:48infuriated many
14:49of his own
14:50backbenchers.
14:52So the one
14:53policy that we're
14:54advocated for that
14:55for a long period
14:56of time is
14:56scrapping the
14:57two-child limit.
14:58What do we do?
14:59We block the vote
15:00on that.
15:01Faced with another
15:02backbench backlash,
15:04Keir Starmer does
15:05what he's done
15:06before, he
15:07U-turns.
15:09We have made
15:09some mistakes as
15:10a government and
15:11I've been up
15:12front about that.
15:13In the budget,
15:13the Chancellor
15:14announced that
15:14we'd lift the
15:15two-child limit
15:16alongside everything
15:16else that we've
15:17done, whether
15:17that's expanding
15:19childcare,
15:19expanding free
15:20school meals,
15:20new free
15:21breakfast clubs,
15:22a lot has
15:23happened on
15:24that front.
15:24It's perfectly
15:25true that most
15:26governments will
15:28U-turn from
15:28time to time.
15:29The problem
15:30with Starmer's
15:30U-turns is that
15:32people have found
15:32it difficult to
15:33discern what is
15:34the ground on
15:35which he's going
15:35to stand and
15:36fight.
15:38But for voters,
15:40the real issue
15:40isn't political
15:42U-turns.
15:43They voted for
15:45change, motivated
15:46by a desire to
15:47feel better off.
15:50Living standards
15:51in Britain for
15:52the past two
15:52decades have
15:53either been
15:53stagnant or
15:54declining, i.e.
15:56that rich people
15:57are basically no
15:59richer than they
15:59were 20 years ago.
16:01That has not
16:02happened, arguably,
16:03ever, or at least
16:04since the
16:04Napoleonic War.
16:06So if you're
16:06asking, why does
16:07British politics
16:07seem so unstable?
16:09That is why
16:09British people in
16:11election after
16:12election or
16:12referendum or
16:13whatever are
16:13voting again and
16:15again and again
16:16for economic
16:17change, for
16:17material improvement
16:19in their lives
16:20and time and
16:21again, no matter
16:21what answer they
16:22choose, which party
16:23they choose, they
16:24don't seem to get
16:25in a minute.
16:32Hi.
16:33Hi.
16:34How are you
16:34doing?
16:34Lovely to meet you.
16:35Nice to meet you.
16:35Welcome to Social
16:36Enterprise Kitchen.
16:36Well, no, thanks for
16:37having us.
16:39In Ramsgate on the
16:40Kent Coast,
16:41organisations like
16:42the Social Enterprise
16:43Kitchen are helping
16:44to bridge the
16:45growing gap between
16:46wages and the
16:47rising cost of
16:48living.
16:49We try and keep
16:50everything to about
16:5160% of the cost
16:52you'd buy in a
16:53supermarket.
16:55After Keir Starmer's
16:56first 20 months in
16:58office, are the
16:59numbers of people
16:59using services like
17:01this one beginning
17:02to fall?
17:04It's getting worse
17:05and not better.
17:07Yeah.
17:07We see between
17:08500 and 600
17:09transactions every
17:11week.
17:12It has increased
17:13steadily as well.
17:14We have people who
17:16are in work who
17:17are coming here
17:18because, you know,
17:19by the end of the
17:20month, your money
17:21just isn't going as
17:22far.
17:23That's the reality
17:23of things right
17:24now.
17:29That reality is
17:31reflected in our
17:32own survey of
17:332,000 voters.
17:35We asked people what
17:36difference the
17:37government is making
17:38to their lives.
17:40Two in three voters
17:41said that the cost
17:42of living has
17:43actually got worse
17:44since Labour came
17:45to power.
17:46A similar number
17:47say Labour is
17:48acting too slowly
17:49to deliver change.
17:52Even more worrying
17:53for Keir Starmer
17:54is the fact that
17:54for those who
17:55supported him in
17:562024, fixing the
17:58cost of living
17:59crisis was the
18:00number one reason
18:01for voting Labour.
18:04The public are
18:05getting through
18:06Prime Ministers
18:07faster and faster.
18:09They're desperate
18:09to see change.
18:10They've been voting
18:10for change for the
18:11last 15 years at
18:13least and they feel
18:13like they haven't
18:14seen it.
18:15For a time,
18:17Keir Starmer had
18:17an unhappy title.
18:19The most unpopular
18:20Prime Minister
18:21since records began
18:22with just a 13%
18:25approval rating.
18:26His support was
18:27even lower than
18:28Liz Truss,
18:29the Prime Minister
18:30who survived in
18:31office for less
18:32than 50 days.
18:34How do you
18:34account for that?
18:35What's gone wrong?
18:36Something must have
18:36gone wrong.
18:37What do I think
18:38has gone wrong?
18:40I don't know.
18:42It doesn't seem to
18:43me to be at all
18:45fair to treat
18:47Keir Starmer as if
18:48he's some modern
18:49version of Liz Truss.
18:50The response to
18:52Keir in particular
18:53is totally
18:55disproportionate to
18:56what's happening.
18:58Some of that
18:59polling has begun
19:00to reverse and the
19:01Cabinet appears to be
19:03sticking with him.
19:04Keir is a decent,
19:06humble and
19:08straightforward person
19:09who just wants to
19:10do the best for the
19:10country, wants the
19:11country to improve,
19:12wants to play his
19:13part in making that
19:14happen.
19:14We had a golden
19:16opportunity and we
19:16still have a golden
19:17opportunity from that
19:18election in July 2024
19:20and Labour governments
19:21really don't come
19:21around very often.
19:22We should never
19:23lose sight of that.
19:26But the Prime
19:27Minister's message
19:27must fight to be
19:28heard above the
19:29booming rhetoric of
19:31noisy arrivals.
19:33The Labour Party
19:34can fight back as
19:35much as they like
19:36and frankly their
19:36record in government
19:37so far is lamentable.
19:40In last May's local
19:41elections, Nigel Farage's
19:43Reform Party came out
19:44on top, winning the
19:45largest number of
19:46council seats while
19:47Labour's own share of
19:49the vote plummeted.
19:51Farage's louder, simpler
19:53messaging resonated with
19:55a frustrated public and
19:57reform continued to lead
19:58in national opinion polls.
20:00In response to reform's
20:02success, Starmer's rhetoric
20:04rhetoric on immigration
20:05appeared to move
20:06significantly to the
20:07right in a matter of
20:08days.
20:10These rules become even
20:12more important.
20:13Without them, we risk
20:15becoming an island of
20:16strangers, not a nation
20:17that walks forward
20:18together.
20:19His words horrified many
20:21on the left of his party.
20:24Their argument is that we've
20:25got to out-reform
20:26reform.
20:27They deny that, but that's
20:28the reality of what has
20:30happened and what's
20:30happening at the moment.
20:32Things he said about an
20:33island of strangers, we had
20:35in the party relied on the
20:38support of our diverse
20:39communities for a long time
20:41and taken it for granted.
20:43And I think that's no longer
20:45there.
20:49For the last year, Keir
20:51Starmer has framed the
20:52choice in British politics as
20:54between himself and Nigel
20:56Farage, between Labour and
20:57reform.
20:58Increasingly, though, we can
21:00see that the voters disagree,
21:02that they're looking
21:02elsewhere, that Labour's
21:04biggest problem right now
21:06isn't reform.
21:07It's the hemorrhaging of votes
21:09and voters to the party's
21:10left.
21:12This problem came to a
21:14head in February in the
21:16Gorton and Denton by-election
21:17in Greater Manchester, in
21:19what had been a rock-solid
21:21Labour seat.
21:23Hannah Catherine Spencer is
21:26duly elected.
21:29In a shock result, the
21:31Greens won, with Labour
21:33coming a poor third behind
21:34reform.
21:36The election results for
21:38the party in Gorton-Denton
21:40was very devastating.
21:42His position on Gaza, for
21:44example, didn't resonate very
21:46well.
21:47We need, as a party, to look
21:50at strategically what needs to
21:52happen moving forward, to
21:54re-energise, you know, to build
21:56trust and confidence back again
21:58in the party.
21:59And we need to do that sooner
22:00rather than later.
22:02At the same time as really not
22:06having any impact whatsoever in
22:08addressing those that are voting
22:10for reform, it's alienated the
22:13whole section of those people who
22:15are very traditional Labour voters
22:18who are repelled by that language.
22:20And especially when Keir is calling
22:22people extremists, not just of the
22:24right, but of the left as well.
22:26We have now an era of really
22:32strong characters in politics.
22:34And those ones that are standing
22:37against Labour, that's going to eat
22:40away at the Labour majority.
22:44Keir Starmer has become known for
22:46his U-turns, but this green problem
22:48he now faces arguably arises from
22:50his biggest one of all.
22:52It is easy to forget now that Keir
22:54Starmer ran to be Labour leader on
22:56the party's left.
22:58He described Jeremy Corbyn as an
22:59ally and a friend.
23:00He had a suite of left-wing policy
23:03positions on which he became leader.
23:05He decided to entirely renege, seeking
23:08not to promote the left and their
23:09ideas, but to bury them.
23:11Now that may have been smart
23:12politics at the time, but the
23:14long-term cost has been to alienate
23:16progressive left-wing voters who in
23:18the form of the Greens for the first
23:20time in a long time have somewhere
23:22else to go, something that will play
23:24out in those crucial May elections.
23:27But even those elections, as important
23:29as they are, may soon start to feel
23:31very small by comparison to events
23:34in a faraway country, politics of
23:37which will haunt us at home.
23:42With the world now confronting the
23:45political and economic impact of
23:47President Trump's war in Iran, is Keir
23:50Starmer the kind of leader Britain needs
23:52in this time of crisis?
23:54The United Kingdom was not involved in
23:57the initial strikes on Iran.
23:59That decision was deliberate.
24:02Could pragmatism over ideology now be a
24:06winning card.
24:18The US and UK have a special
24:20relationship, very special, really like
24:23no other, passed down through the
24:24centuries.
24:27His greatest challenge has undoubtedly been
24:29dealing with President Trump.
24:31I think he's been pretty nimble in doing
24:34that, given that you couldn't really think of
24:35two more different people to have in a room
24:37together than Donald Trump and Keir Starmer.
24:40One of the areas where Keir Starmer has
24:42surprised, arguably on the upside, is in his
24:44handling of a relationship with the American
24:46government.
24:46At the start of Keir Starmer's premiership, his
24:49foreign policy was dominated by a desire to keep
24:52in Donald Trump's good graces.
24:56We remain each other's first partner in defence, ready
25:00to come to the other's aid, to counter threats, wherever
25:04and whenever they may arise.
25:07On the international stage, you know, at least
25:09initially he seemed like something of a Trump whisperer
25:11even.
25:15Dealing with someone like Trump, who is unprecedented
25:18in his capriciousness, means that that is a particularly
25:22difficult relationship to handle.
25:26And it was trying to deal with that capricious president
25:29and secure a good trade deal that led to perhaps his greatest
25:33moment of political peril back home.
25:35Peter is the right person to help us work with President
25:39Trump and to take this special relationship.
25:41From strength to strength.
25:43Within a month of Trump's election, Keir Starmer made Lord
25:46Mandelson ambassador to the United States.
25:49I was gobsmacked when Starmer decided to appoint Mandelson as
25:56the US ambassador.
25:57His appointment, said to have been heavily influenced by Chief
26:00of Staff Morgan McSweeney, was seen as a political gamble.
26:03They were really profoundly worried about how to manage that
26:06relationship with Donald Trump.
26:08And it was with that in mind that they were making the decision.
26:13He knew it was a risk.
26:15He knew that Mandelson had a reputation for unwise personal judgment.
26:18But he also knew that Mandelson had political and diplomatic gifts and might be the best
26:23person to bridge the gap between Labour and Trump.
26:27As a veteran of the era in which he was very prominent, were you surprised that Keir Starmer
26:31appointed Peter Mandelson as US ambassador?
26:34No, I thought it was rather a good idea.
26:35And, you know, I hope all the other people who said they thought it was rather a good idea will
26:39admit they thought it was rather a good idea.
26:41What a beautiful accent.
26:43I'd like to have that accent.
26:45My mother would be proud.
26:47In Washington, he was thought of as someone with a lot of contacts and contacts matter in
26:54Washington.
26:54One thing we don't need to fight over is trade because...
27:05The gambles seemed to be paying off when Britain secured a lower tariff on import into the US
27:11than most traditional allies.
27:14But in September, that all changed.
27:18Hundreds of thousands of Epstein files are finally released.
27:22Emails, videos, transcripts from a major investigation into the sex offender.
27:27The Prime Minister's judgment was called into question, particularly after revelations
27:33about the closeness of the relationship between billionaire convicted sex offender
27:37Geoffrey Epstein and Lord Mandelson.
27:40He was warned it was a general reputational risk.
27:42So my question to the minister is very simple.
27:45Which feeling does he think the Prime Minister suffers from?
27:48Ignorance, arrogance or both?
27:51It was common knowledge at the time that he'd had a relationship with Epstein.
27:57He had been found guilty of other misdemeanours too in the past.
28:03He'd have to resign in the past.
28:06Starmer eventually sacked Mandelson, but only after he'd initially defended the appointment
28:12at the dispatch box.
28:13Full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors.
28:22And worse was to come.
28:23When it was revealed Mandelson may have been sharing privileged financial information
28:28with Epstein, something which led to his arrest in February.
28:31Were you surprised by those reports?
28:34I was very surprised.
28:34I wasn't surprised that Peter was a friend of Epstein.
28:38Peter has a propensity to be friendly with rich, powerful people.
28:42What he likes to do.
28:44But those reports of what was happening in 2010 and the information being passed, that's
28:49what the police are looking into.
28:50That was the shock.
28:51Peter Mandelson has always denied any wrongdoing.
28:55This is the biggest scandal in British politics for over one century.
29:00It's another instance where he went against his instinct, but he still did it anyway.
29:05And I think he has to own that.
29:06Scottish Labour leader Anasawa was the first to break ranks.
29:11The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.
29:17And the PM was forced to apologise.
29:20I am sorry for having believed Mandelson's lies and appointed him.
29:25I think that the person who was largely responsible was Morgan McSweeney and he's taken responsibility
29:30for it and he's resigned.
29:32It was a catastrophic mistake.
29:34He was known as the Prince of Darkness for a particular reason.
29:38So he came with a lot of baggage.
29:43Peter Mandelson's appointment was arguably the biggest mistake of Keir Starmer's premiership.
29:49But on some of the biggest geopolitical problems of the age, he has seemed more assured.
29:59You've got to be more thankful, because let me tell you, you don't have the cards.
30:03With us, you have the cards.
30:05But without us, you don't have any cards.
30:08After a very public spat between Trump and Zelensky in February 2025, Starmer was one of the first to step
30:16in.
30:16And what you saw from the Prime Minister was him getting on the phone behind the scenes and speaking to
30:20Donald Trump and speaking to President Zelensky and then bringing Zelensky to London and giving him that hug in Downing
30:27Street and getting the show back on the road.
30:33And Keir Starmer showed his willingness to stand up to Trump when the president seemed to be very seriously weighing
30:40up the idea of annexing Greenland.
30:42We were all clear that the future of Greenland is a matter for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
30:48Keir is being, you know, clear about it, firm about it, saying, you know, Donald Trump, I don't agree with
30:53you on Greenland.
30:54You're not allowed to have Greenland.
30:55What we British do, and have always done in a way, is apply common sense, pragmatism, but we stick to
31:02our principles and our values.
31:03Welcome to Starmer!
31:05Oh, thank you so much!
31:06One of the things that has been said about Starmer is that he has been better on the world stage
31:10and in foreign policy than domestically.
31:14I think that Keir Starmer is more at home in the hermetically sealed world of the G7, the UN, the
31:23diplomatic lounge, without grubby domestic politics intruding, where he can look at each problem issue by issue.
31:33Keir Starmer is not ideological.
31:36He's a barrister.
31:37He looks at each of these cases as an intellectual puzzle to be resolved and fixed.
31:43I think, you know, international world that's quite turbulent right now, that sort of steadfastness can actually be an asset.
32:01Had we not done that, Iran would have had a very powerful nuclear weapon within one month.
32:08But Keir Starmer's diplomatic skills were soon to be tested yet again when the US and Israel launched joint missile
32:16strikes on Iran.
32:18Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.
32:29The PM's initial refusal to allow US forces to use British military bases saw him at odds with the American
32:37president.
32:38When the Iran situation came up and whether we're going to back Trump on the attacks, there were people in
32:44the cabinet who actually said, no, we can't do that.
32:47And therefore, Starmer didn't support us going in immediately with Trump.
32:51The United Kingdom played no role in these strikes.
32:55I think this is a rare example of Keir Starmer showing us who he really is or knowing who he
33:02really is.
33:03This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with.
33:08Starmer's approach, initially at least, put clear space between him and his political opponents.
33:14Frankly, what has happened over the course of the last few days is not enough.
33:18And we look humiliated on the world stage.
33:21No one wants to see more escalation, but our enemies will look at Britain sitting on the fence and think
33:28that this is a weak country.
33:30She and the reform leader have been spooked because they realise they've jumped into supporting a war without thinking through
33:38the consequences.
33:40He basically said, what do you think we should have just followed Trump blindly into a war with no legal
33:47basis and with no clear plan?
33:49And then he's turned to the Greens and said, what do you think we should just not defend British citizens
33:55who are under fire in the Gulf?
33:58So on that, I think he feels like he has landed in the right place, legally, but also politically.
34:08When we're looking at the Iran crisis, do you think this could actually be the making of him?
34:13I think Keir Starmer is not just doing the right thing, but his approach is in line with where the
34:17public are.
34:18I don't think they want to see us sucked into a conflict that lacks a clear purpose or a clear
34:23end.
34:23Others can judge in the long run whether that delivers any wider benefits to Keir as an individual, but that
34:29won't be what motivates him.
34:30He won't be thinking about what this means for him. He'll be thinking about what this means for the country.
34:35Although the role of British bases has been expanded, Starmer still insists they're being used in self-defence.
34:41In a piece of smart politics, he's got the political benefit of publicly opposing the war, while still giving the
34:48Americans much of what they need.
34:50He clearly, on some level, was thinking, this is good for my survival, that he was more comfortable talking about
34:56Iran than he was about the fallout from the Gorton and Denton by-election,
35:00which you can understand because he does feel like foreign affairs plays to his strengths.
35:10Do you think he'll care that Trump said he was no Churchill?
35:13No, because Trump's no Franklin D. Roosevelt.
35:16I think the whole point in the Middle East is not about America, but who is in charge of America.
35:22And I think they're being led, at the moment, quite frankly, by an ignorant bully.
35:27I will say the UK has been very, very uncooperative.
35:31They won't, Starmer, respond to these stupid insults that you get from the stupid being a very Trumpian word.
35:38He can't, but he can ride those two horses in the interest of this country.
35:43And I think that's where his strength will come.
35:46That's the one time, probably, where foreign affairs will reflect in the ballot box.
35:53I'm not going to be wavering on this.
35:55I'm the British Prime Minister, and my job is to be absolutely focused on what's in the British national interest.
36:01What will happen with the Trump relationship? Well, who can possibly say?
36:06But it is true that Keir Starmer does often see more at home abroad. Why?
36:10Well, again, it is to do with the character and politics of this unusual Prime Minister.
36:15In foreign policy, you don't need an ideology. There is no electorate to convince.
36:20There is a series of crises and problems to be weathered and solved.
36:24It appeals to the sort of politician that he is, an international handyman with an international law degree.
36:31The problem is, is that foreign policy rarely wins votes.
36:34And when foreign and domestic collide, as happened in the Mandelson affair,
36:39then the old problems for Keir Starmer arise anew.
36:44Despite being viewed as doing the right thing in not backing Trump over Iran,
36:48the long-term economic impact of the war is already being felt in people's pockets
36:53and could yet transform politics at home.
36:56I will keep on fighting for those people for as long as I've got breath in my body.
37:02This is the backdrop to looming crucial elections in May,
37:06where Keir Starmer may face the fight of his life
37:09to survive as Labour leader and Prime Minister.
37:27You see that man right there? You know who that is?
37:30The late, great Winston Churchill.
37:32Keir Starmer has often been underestimated.
37:36At times this year, it looked like he wouldn't even make it this far.
37:40In this job, you don't get a second shot at making the right call
37:45on taking your country to war.
37:50As the Iran conflict enters its second month,
37:53Starmer's decision not to join the US-Israeli offensive
37:56seems, on the face of it, to have cemented his own position.
38:00I think we have been able to play a very positive role
38:03because the agenda is the right one and is really popular across the world.
38:12But there are many political landmines ahead for Keir Starmer,
38:16not least what he knew about Peter Mandelson
38:19before appointing him to the UK's top diplomatic post.
38:22with a very limited number of documents being released today,
38:26the way it goes on for the rest of Britain's Epstein files.
38:29We know that there's going to be this steady trickle of documents coming out,
38:33which will just be the backdrop to his premiership.
38:36Did you deceive the Prime Minister, Mr Mandelson?
38:43But by far his biggest political challenge will come in May,
38:47when voters go to the polls in local elections in England
38:50and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.
38:54I think that ability to consistently show some kind of improvement
38:57is what's needed now.
38:59But when it gets to May
39:00and you see another sort of dire set of local election results,
39:04that might be the point of no return.
39:08Labour is currently well down in the polls
39:10and is projected to lose over 1,500 local councillors.
39:14If he does last up until May 7th,
39:17your job in the run-up to May 7th
39:19is to make sure he isn't there for very much longer.
39:23I think he's feeling so much pressure from reform,
39:26but not just from reform, from the Greens as well.
39:29We're not being complacent.
39:30We're going to get out there.
39:31We're going to campaign for every single vote.
39:34If we have the devastating results that were being predicted,
39:40then I think decisions about who leads the party going forward
39:45has to be a discussion.
39:47Do you have full confidence in the Prime Minister?
39:49Labour MPs aren't just thinking about it
39:51in terms of the dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer.
39:54It's about who comes next
39:55and they all want to time it
39:57so that the person that they prefer is best placed to fight a contest.
40:02But Starmer's survival may be underpriced.
40:05Much of Labour fears who might replace him
40:07and the instability it might cause.
40:10I think that the country will be fed up.
40:13You know, we saw too much of that under the Tories,
40:15so we need to think about what the country needs going forward
40:19in terms of providing that level of stability.
40:23Do you think he should lead the Parson to the next election if he wants to?
40:27He's probably the only person.
40:29To be honest, I can't see West Streeting doing it,
40:32I can't see Angela Rayner doing it,
40:34I can't see Andy Burnham doing it,
40:35I can't see anybody in the Labour Party.
40:39The health secretary, Starmer's former deputy leader,
40:42and the mayor of Greater Manchester
40:44are often cited as the three frontrunners.
40:47But these rivals have their own problems.
40:49The timing hasn't been right for West Streeting or Angela Rayner.
40:53It's obviously not right for Andy Burnham
40:54because he's not even in Parliament.
40:56And I think that that has kept Keir Starmer in place.
41:00In recent weeks, Angela Rayner has appeared
41:02to be getting closer to mounting a challenge.
41:05However, almost half the people in our survey
41:08believed anyone replacing Starmer as Labour leader
41:11would actually be the same or worse.
41:14So I think if you're West Streeting,
41:16if you're Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham outside Parliament
41:18for the time being,
41:19but if you're one of these contenders
41:21thinking that you'd get an easier ride for the public,
41:23I'm not sure that's the case.
41:25Any successor would inherit a government
41:27that has hemorrhaged support over the last 20 months.
41:31And after six prime ministers in the last decade,
41:34is there much public desire for a seventh?
41:37Nobody wants to be the person that goes over the top
41:41because of the instability that could be unleashed
41:45in terms of the markets,
41:47in terms of the public being very angry.
41:50Public impatience and frustration with our politicians
41:54has been growing over the last two decades.
41:58The heart of this issue
42:00is the stagnating or collapsing living standards.
42:04That has led to voters
42:06hitting the red button for change repeatedly.
42:10They did that when they voted for Brexit.
42:14They got our government!
42:17They did it when they voted for Boris Johnson
42:18and that didn't work either
42:20and they did it when they voted Labour.
42:22They did it when they voted for Brexit.
42:25Keir Starmer or any government
42:27that seems unable to improve
42:29people's living standards in any way,
42:32it is no surprise that they're unpopular.
42:35And you can understand recent British political history
42:37of people voting for economic change
42:40again and again and again
42:42and it never seeming to materialise.
42:45So this is a far bigger question
42:46than just about Keir Starmer or his government.
42:48People I think in Britain now are starting to doubt whether any government, whether the British state itself, the democratic
42:55system itself, can deliver material improvement to their lives.
43:01It definitely feels like there's something very unstable in our politics.
43:07Some of it comes from forces outside of Westminster. It's like a 24-hour news cycle and social media, voter
43:14volatility.
43:16Do you think that the media and perhaps politicians, MPs as well, were addicted to the drama and that feeds
43:22through?
43:23I think so much of the focus and what happens through the media is around some of the kind of
43:28who's up or who's down political chatter.
43:30That's always been there but it's such a big feature of so much of the coverage at a time when
43:35we're facing some huge global issues, some big issues close to home as well.
43:40The level of discontent that people have with the establishment has only become more entrenched.
43:46Our streets! Our streets!
43:49Against that background, what you need is a clearer vision, greater radicalism in order to be able to restore faith
43:55in democratic politics.
43:57And in that sense, Starmer, it's his tragedy, is uniquely ill-suited to this moment.
44:06More than half of the people we surveyed believe the fault for Britain's political instability lies squarely with the men
44:12and women we elect to represent us.
44:15Trust in politicians is an all-time low. The more the public get to know politicians, the more they often
44:21don't like them.
44:22And our poll suggests that Starmer has an uphill task to change people's minds.
44:27The public have already made up their minds about Keir Starmer and the Labour government.
44:31Now, it might be that substantial improvements to living standards do change their minds,
44:36but at the moment we can see that nearly six in ten of the public think that Labour won't be
44:40able to turn things around.
44:42Starmer now finds himself where no prime minister would want to be just 20 months into their term in office.
44:49He must now not only convince the public, but his own party as well.
44:54I don't think we can go on the way we are, with a party where debate is closed down in
45:01such a way that lessons aren't being learnt.
45:05I think people are just saying, just be Labour, will you? You stand up for people.
45:09You are a progressive party. You do want to change society.
45:12It's more than time for Keir Starmer to go. He's actually lost the trust of the country.
45:16How do you think Keir Starmer will be remembered by history?
45:18I think he'll be remembered as a figure who squandered the amazing inheritance of a huge parliamentary majority
45:29and the goodwill, certainly, of probably a majority of the country, because he was a man without a plan.
45:37Do you think he'll be prime minister leading the Labour party into the next general election?
45:41I don't.
45:42Do you think that he will lead Labour into the next election?
45:45And do you think he should?
45:45Yes, I do. And yes, I think he should.
45:48I think if he wants to, he will. I'm not sure if Keir wants to be a two-term prime
45:53minister.
45:54Keir Starmer's tragedy might be that he's a man of order, with disorder all around him.
46:00A disorder he seems unable to fix.
46:03Like so many recent prime ministers, he is haunted by changes in technology, social media, geopolitics.
46:09A public who see a system which no longer works for them, a system which feels ungovernable and chaotic.
46:17He promised that he would end that chaos, something that so far he has not done.
46:22His challenges have been immense, which is precisely why you need leaders, politicians, prime ministers who can rise to match
46:30them.
46:30For Keir Starmer, perhaps for the system as we've known it, it's now or never.
47:03Keir Starmer
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