- 17 hours ago
LONDON — Reeling from a historic blow at the ballot box, Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a high-stakes press conference today to address the nation. Just five hours after the final results confirmed the Labour Party’s worst local election performance in decades, the Prime Minister struck a tone of "humility mixed with defiance."
The Context: A Nation Rebellious
Last week’s local polls saw the Labour Party lose over 1,000 seats, with the populist Reform UK party making unprecedented gains in former Labour heartlands. Voters cited concerns over the economy, immigration, and a perceived "disconnect" between Westminster and the working class.
Key Takeaways from the PM’s Address
"I Hear You": Starmer opened by acknowledging the "clear message" from voters, admitting the results were a "painful wake-up call" for his administration.
No Resignation: Despite mounting pressure from both the opposition and internal party critics, Starmer explicitly ruled out a leadership contest. "To walk away now would be to abandon the country to chaos when it needs stability most," he stated.
The "New Direction" Policy Blitz: To regain public trust, the PM announced three emergency pivots:
Industrial Sovereignty: Accelerating the nationalization of the UK steel industry to protect jobs.
European Realignment: A fresh push for a "Youth Mobility Scheme" with the EU to stimulate economic growth.
Local Empowerment: Shifting more decision-making power directly to regional mayors to bypass London bureaucracy.
The Rise of the "Third Force"
The press conference was dominated by questions regarding the surge of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Starmer characterized the shift as a "protest against the status quo" rather than a permanent move to the right, promising that Labour would "fight for every vote" to win back those who felt abandoned.
“Politics is about more than just managing; it’s about listening. Today, we start a new chapter of listening—and acting—with the speed the British people demand.”
— PM Keir Starmer, May 11, 2026.
What’s Next?
Political analysts suggest Starmer has a narrow window to prove these policy shifts are more than just rhetoric. With a cabinet reshuffle rumored for tomorrow morning, the Prime Minister is fighting for his political life as the UK enters a period of intense political volatility.
The Context: A Nation Rebellious
Last week’s local polls saw the Labour Party lose over 1,000 seats, with the populist Reform UK party making unprecedented gains in former Labour heartlands. Voters cited concerns over the economy, immigration, and a perceived "disconnect" between Westminster and the working class.
Key Takeaways from the PM’s Address
"I Hear You": Starmer opened by acknowledging the "clear message" from voters, admitting the results were a "painful wake-up call" for his administration.
No Resignation: Despite mounting pressure from both the opposition and internal party critics, Starmer explicitly ruled out a leadership contest. "To walk away now would be to abandon the country to chaos when it needs stability most," he stated.
The "New Direction" Policy Blitz: To regain public trust, the PM announced three emergency pivots:
Industrial Sovereignty: Accelerating the nationalization of the UK steel industry to protect jobs.
European Realignment: A fresh push for a "Youth Mobility Scheme" with the EU to stimulate economic growth.
Local Empowerment: Shifting more decision-making power directly to regional mayors to bypass London bureaucracy.
The Rise of the "Third Force"
The press conference was dominated by questions regarding the surge of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Starmer characterized the shift as a "protest against the status quo" rather than a permanent move to the right, promising that Labour would "fight for every vote" to win back those who felt abandoned.
“Politics is about more than just managing; it’s about listening. Today, we start a new chapter of listening—and acting—with the speed the British people demand.”
— PM Keir Starmer, May 11, 2026.
What’s Next?
Political analysts suggest Starmer has a narrow window to prove these policy shifts are more than just rhetoric. With a cabinet reshuffle rumored for tomorrow morning, the Prime Minister is fighting for his political life as the UK enters a period of intense political volatility.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Labour MP for Osset and Denberdale in West Yorkshire.
00:10I've spent the last few months in Wakefield knocking on more doors than I could possibly
00:16count and like many of you here I was devastated to see the results come in and watch brilliant
00:24hard-working friends lose their seats. They are honest decent people driven by a genuine desire
00:32to do right by their neighbours who refuse to give up on their communities. What made it harder
00:39was hearing the reasons people in my community were no longer voting Labour. Time and time again
00:48they told me they felt ignored, forgotten, overlooked. They felt that politics no longer
00:56works for them and that Britain just isn't fair anymore. It was hard because I am Labour
01:05precisely because I believe in a fairer Britain. I'm a working-class northern woman and I know I
01:13could not be on this stage were it not for the opportunities fought for and delivered by the
01:19Labour Party and the Labour movement. The NHS, minimum wage, workers rights, a genuine social safety net,
01:28equal pay, social housing and short-start centres. In fact I first got into politics campaigning against
01:36the closure of my local short-start centre having felt the direct impact it was having on the children
01:43I worked with. When I started campaigning it was clear to me then, as it is clear to me now,
01:51that the Labour Party is one of the greatest vehicles for changing the lives of working people this
01:58country has ever known.
02:13But yet on the doorstep people no longer believed it. Too many places and communities are feeling left
02:24behind. Feeling as if the state cares more about those trying to take from our country than those
02:31trying to contribute to it. That it doesn't care about them. We've got to address that. We must deliver
02:39for the left behind towns and cities that have seen industry leave and the institutions that formed their
02:46identity go with it. We have the opportunity and the ability to draw a line under this story of decline
02:56and division and restore hope and prosperity and this government has already done so much to set this
03:03work in motion. But this can only happen with a Labour Party governing with Labour values. That's why I am
03:14pleased to introduce the man who delivered the first Labour government in a generation and has fought all his
03:22life for justice and fairness, the Prime Minister and the leader of our party, Keir Starmer.
03:32That's great. That's really great.
03:54Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And thank you, Jay. They were such powerful words. Thank you for
04:10that introduction. The election results last week were tough. Very tough. We lost some
04:20brilliant Labour representatives. That hurts. And it should hurt. I get it. I feel it.
04:32And I take responsibility. But it's not just about taking responsibility for the results. It's about
04:42taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better
04:51in the months and years ahead.
04:55Because we are not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents. Very dangerous opponents.
05:06This hurts not just because Labour has done badly, but because if we don't get this right,
05:13our country will go down a very dark path. So just as I take responsibility for the results,
05:23I also take responsibility for delivering the change that we promised for a stronger and fairer Britain that
05:31we must build. I take responsibility for navigating us through a world that is more dangerous than
05:40at any time in my life. And I take responsibility for not walking away, not plunging our country into
05:49chaos as the Tories did time and again. Chaos that did lasting damage to this country.
05:56A Labour government would never be forgiven for inflicting that on our country again.
06:14I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain. Frustrated by politics.
06:23And some people frustrated with me. I know I have my doubters. And I know I need to prove them
06:34wrong,
06:34and I will. So let me start on a personal note. Like every Prime Minister, I've learned a lot in
06:45the
06:45first two years in the job. In terms of the policy challenges that our country faces, incremental change
06:53won't cut it. On growth, defence, Europe, energy, we need a bigger response than we anticipated in 2024.
07:06Because these are not ordinary times. And this is a political challenge, just as much as it's a policy
07:15challenge. Delivery is, of course, essential. But it's not sufficient on its own to address the frustration
07:23that voters feel. We're battling reform and the Greens. But at a deeper level, we're battling the despair
07:34on which they pray. Despair that they exploit and amplify. And so analysis matters, but argument matters
07:43more. Evidence matters. But so too does emotion. Stories beat spreadsheets. People need hope.
07:55So we will face up to the big challenges. And we will make the big arguments. The Labour case.
08:01That only Labour values and Labour policies can ensure our country not only weathers these storms,
08:08but emerges stronger and fairer. And the Labour case. That neither Nigel Farage nor Zach Polanski
08:15offers our country the serious progressive leadership that these times demand.
08:33of course, like every government, we've made mistakes. But we got the big political choices right.
08:43I mean, if we'd listened to the advice of other parties, right now we'd be stuck in a standoff with
08:49Iran, having been dragged into a war that is not in our interest. And I will never do that.
09:02We have invested in our public services, in people, in the pride of Britain's communities.
09:10Difficult decisions funded that. But now NHS waiting lists are coming down.
09:17Child poverty is coming down. Immigration is coming down. And we are rebuilding from the ground up.
09:24They were the right cause.
09:28And most of all, we stabilised the economy. The fundamentals are sound. And that matters.
09:36Because it puts us in a much better place to come out of the conflict in Iran stronger and fairer.
09:42And for living standards to improve after two decades of stagnation.
09:50But that's not enough. Clearly.
09:56No. For the British people, tired of a status quo that has failed them, change cannot come quickly enough.
10:08And truth be told, I'm not sure that they believe that we care. I'm not sure they believe that we
10:16see their lives.
10:19That's tough to say. When you come from a working class background like me, it's hard to hear that.
10:28Because I do know what it's like to struggle and to strive. But what I take from it is that
10:36I've spent too much time talking about what I am doing for working people,
10:40and not enough time talking about why or who I stand for, because I can see how hard life has
10:48been during these decades of crisis.
10:51I can see that very clearly. My late brother, Nick, spent all his adult life going from one job to
11:01the next. The status quo did not work for him.
11:07My sister is a carer, working long hours on low pay, year after year after year. She didn't even get
11:16sick pay in the pandemic.
11:18The status quo did not work for her. For too long, we've ignored people like that. And there are millions
11:26of people in that boat.
11:27Millions of people who don't get the dignity, the respect, the chance that they deserve to go as far as
11:34their talent and effort should take them.
11:37Millions of people held back because the status quo in this country does not work for them. I am fighting
11:43for them. We are fighting for them.
11:45I am their prime minister and this is their government.
12:06Because I know whose side I'm on. I'm on the side of working people just like my sister. People who
12:13work harder and harder, but who worry about the cost of living.
12:17They're not asking for the world. They just want to do the best for their kids. They want their town
12:23centres, the places they care about, to thrive.
12:26Their public services to work. And people in power to see their problems.
12:32And right now, they're worried sick. They turn on the TV. They see bombs falling.
12:39They go to the petrol station, see prices rising. And they think, how is this happening to us again?
12:47They say, how can I be paying the price for a war thousands of miles away that I don't support,
12:54that Britain isn't involved in?
12:57And it's not a new feeling, is it?
13:02For two decades, our country has been buffeted by crisis after crisis.
13:09The 2008 financial crash.
13:12The Tory austerity that followed it.
13:14Brexit. Covid. Ukraine war.
13:17On and on it goes.
13:20And the response is always the same.
13:25A desperate attempt to get back to the status quo.
13:30A status quo that failed working people time and again.
13:34Our response this time must be different.
13:37A complete break.
13:39We must make this country stronger.
13:42Take control of our economic security.
13:46Our energy security.
13:47Our defence security.
13:49And we must make this country fairer.
14:02Strength through fairness.
14:04That is my compass in this world.
14:07It is a core labour argument.
14:09And in the coming days, you will see those values writ large in the King's speech.
14:14And you will see hope, urgency, and exactly whose side we're on reflected in everything we say and everything we
14:23do.
14:24So let me give you three examples today.
14:29Starting with British steel.
14:33Because what we did in Scunthorpe last year is one of the proudest things we have done in government.
14:40That plant was hours away from closure.
14:44And that is thousands of jobs gone.
14:47An entire region decimated.
14:50Britain's security exposed.
14:52And so we acted.
14:55Parliament was in recess, but it didn't matter.
14:57As a united Labour Party, we passed emergency legislation and we took control.
15:04APPLAUSE
15:11And we must bring that same urgency to everything now.
15:16Starting, appropriately enough, with Scunthorpe.
15:20Because steel is the ultimate sovereign capability.
15:24Strong nations in a world like this need to make steel.
15:29That's why we're backing steel in Port Talbot and across the UK.
15:33But in Scunthorpe, we've been negotiating with the current owner.
15:38And a commercial sale has not been possible.
15:43And now a public interest test could be met.
15:46So I can announce that legislation will be brought forward this week to give the government powers subject to that
15:54public interest test to take full national ownership of British steel.
16:14Public ownership in the public interest.
16:17Urgent government on the side of working people.
16:20Making Britain stronger with the hope of industrial renewal.
16:23That is a Labour choice.
16:33A second example.
16:35Europe.
16:37And I'm sorry, but I need to take a bit of a detour on this.
16:42Because I want to remind you what Nigel Farage said about Brexit.
16:48He said it would make us richer.
16:51Wrong.
16:52It made us poorer.
16:53He said it would reduce migration.
16:56Wrong.
16:57Migration went through the roof.
16:59He said it would make us more secure.
17:01Wrong again.
17:02It made us weaker.
17:04He took Britain for a ride.
17:06And unlike the Tories, actually, who at least had to face up to it, he just fled the scene.
17:11And now, he'll talk about almost anything other than the consequences of the one policy he actually delivered.
17:20Because he's not just a grifter.
17:22He is a chancer.
17:34And so, at the next EU summit, I will set a new direction for Britain.
17:41The last government was defined by breaking our relationship with Europe.
17:45This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe, by putting Britain at the heart of Europe.
17:54So that we are stronger on the economy.
17:58Stronger on trade.
18:00Stronger on defence, you name it.
18:02Because standing shoulder to shoulder with the countries that most share our interests, our values, and our enemies.
18:11That is the right choice for Britain.
18:15That is the Labour choice.
18:26And for our young people, also something more.
18:31Because Brexit smashed away their ability to work, to study, and to live easily in Europe.
18:40That's why I'm proud we restored the Erasmus scheme.
18:44But I want to go further.
18:46I want to make a better offer for our young people.
18:50Restore that hope, that freedom.
18:53That sense of possibility.
18:55And so I want an ambitious youth experience scheme to be at the heart of our new arrangement with the
19:01EU.
19:02So that our young people can work, can study, and live in Europe.
19:07A symbol of a stronger relationship and a fairer future with our closest allies.
19:12That is the Labour choice.
19:25And third, the greatest hope.
19:30The hope that every parent has of a better future for their children.
19:36And I want parents to feel that that is shared by their government.
19:41Now, my parent, don't worry, I'm not going there.
19:48But they didn't have a lot of money.
19:51And my mum was seriously ill for almost all of her life.
19:57But when they were, in their later years, reflecting on what gave their life meaning,
20:06I could see that, as well as their hope in us, their kids,
20:10what comforted them was the idea that they had contributed to a Britain
20:15that was getting better for young people.
20:18That kids now had a better opportunity than they did.
20:21And so I have always been driven by the idea that every child should go as far as their talent
20:28or effort takes them.
20:29It's a beautiful idea, shared widely across this country.
20:34We tell ourselves stories about it, don't we?
20:39Stories not unlike mine, about the working class kids who do make it.
20:46And I don't blame people for telling those stories.
20:48It's important to tell those stories.
20:53But it's not everyone, is it?
20:56So when I say every child should have the opportunity to go as far as their talent or effort takes
21:02them,
21:03I mean every child.
21:05I mean the kids who are growing up in poverty.
21:07The kids who have special educational needs.
21:10The kids who can't get a job.
21:12And the kids who are ignored, frankly, because society often only puts those who go to university on a pedestal.
21:20We don't really see anything else as success.
21:24And that is wrong.
21:26Deeply wrong.
21:27So we will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships,
21:31in technical excellence colleges, in special educational needs.
21:35We will make sure that every young person struggling to find a job
21:39will get a guaranteed offer of a job, training or work placement.
21:52And we will go much further with our Pride in Place programme.
21:56Back the millions of people who give their time and their effort to young people in their community.
22:02We will back them, not just with money, but with power.
22:06And we will make sure that kids whose talent lies with their hands,
22:11kids who go to college, kids ignored by the status quo,
22:16because politicians' kids don't go there,
22:18they will finally get the respect that they deserve in a stronger, fairer Britain.
22:23That is the Labour choice.
22:25APPLAUSE
22:35These are just a few examples,
22:38but they show the urgency and hope in our direction.
22:42They show the Labour values we will be guided for.
22:46And they show, frankly, the lessons that we will learn.
22:51Now, other parties will draw different lessons.
22:56In fact, they already are.
22:58They want more grievance politics, more division,
23:02more pointing at Britain's problems,
23:04looking not for solutions, but for someone to blame.
23:09Now, that's fine if it's me, if it's politicians, that's the job.
23:14But increasingly, it's not.
23:18It's other people in this country.
23:21And I don't think that's British.
23:23That is not the decency and respect that we are known for.
23:28But it's here.
23:30That politics is with us now.
23:34And you'll see it again on Saturday,
23:36at a march designed to confront and intimidate
23:39this diverse city and this diverse country.
23:44That is why this Labour government will block far-right agitators
23:47from travelling to Britain for that event.
23:50Because we will not allow people to come to the UK
23:52to threaten our communities and spread hate on our streets.
23:58APPLAUSE
24:06This is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation.
24:12And I want to be crystal clear about how we will win it.
24:15Because we cannot win as a weaker version of reform or the Greens.
24:22We can only win as a stronger version of Labour.
24:25A mainstream party of power, not protest.
24:35And I also want to be really clear on this.
24:38Because I will never stop fighting
24:40for the decent, respectful, diverse country that I love.
24:44I will never give up on the hope we can unlock in this country.
24:48The hope of renters for security in their home.
24:51Of workers for fairness at work.
24:54Of public services freed from austerity.
24:56The hope of European solidarity.
24:59Of community pride.
25:01Of the people who paint over the graffiti that is racist.
25:05A country taking control of its future.
25:07Our spirit unchanged.
25:09Our resolve unbroken.
25:11The hope of a country that can and will
25:14become a stronger, fairer Britain.
25:16That is the hope I'm fighting for.
25:18That is the hope we are fighting for.
25:19That is the Labour choice.
25:21APPLAUSE
25:24Thank you very much. Thank you.
25:29APPLAUSE
25:34Thank you very much.
25:37APPLAUSE
25:42Thank you very much.
25:54I'm now going to take some questions from the media.
25:57And I'm starting with Chris Mason.
25:59Chris.
26:02Chris Mason, BBC News.
26:03Prime Minister, do you think in your gut
26:05what you have said is enough this morning?
26:08And what do you say directly to those of your colleagues
26:11who are weighing up right now
26:13whether to back you or to suggest that you should go?
26:16And if I may, would you back continuing to block Andy Burnham
26:20from trying to return to Parliament?
26:22Well, Chris has a lot packed into that question.
26:25Let me just...
26:26What I'm doing is setting out the response,
26:29the direction that we need to take
26:31and the acknowledgement that in the world we live in now,
26:35we need a bigger response than 2024.
26:37It is a different world.
26:39And an acknowledgement that this isn't the first shock
26:43the country has been through with the Iran conflict.
26:46We've had plenty of those in the last 20 years.
26:48But every time, the government of the day
26:50has tried to get back to a status quo that doesn't work.
26:54And we're not going to do that this time.
26:56That is the urgent task facing our country.
26:59We were elected into office to change this country,
27:03to bring about the change that is needed.
27:04The frustration that has been spoken about
27:07is a frustration of at least 20 years, if not more.
27:09That is what we're charged with changing.
27:12That is what we will change.
27:13In relation to Andy Burnham,
27:15obviously, any future decision is for the NEC.
27:18Andy's doing a great job as mayor in Manchester.
27:21And I actually work really well with Andy,
27:23and I'll give you two examples,
27:25on Northern Powerhouse Rail,
27:26which is really important for the North West.
27:29We are working together on that project.
27:32But equally, we've stood together
27:35to support Manchester, the community.
27:37When we had the terrible attack on a synagogue last year,
27:41Andy was the first person I phoned,
27:42and I went straight to Manchester
27:43to work with him on our response.
27:46So we work very well together.
27:47But the actual decision would be one for the NEC.
27:49Thank you, Chris, very much.
27:50Beth, from Sky News.
27:52Thank you, Prime Minister.
27:55Back in 2021,
27:57when Labour lost hundreds of council seats
27:59and the Hartlepool by-election,
28:01you thought about resigning as a Labour leader,
28:04explaining, and this is quoting you,
28:06I didn't feel I should be bigger than the party.
28:09But these results, this moment,
28:11is so, so much worse than then.
28:14You've lost nearly 1,500 councillors,
28:1740 councils, you've lost Wales.
28:20Haven't you for one moment
28:22thought you should step aside
28:24in the interests of the party and country?
28:27And if you haven't,
28:28why haven't you?
28:31Well, thank you very much, Beth.
28:34I think what we witnessed
28:36with the last government
28:37was the chaos
28:39of constantly changing leaders.
28:42and it cost this country
28:44a huge amount.
28:44A huge amount.
28:53And I'll tell you who paid the price.
28:55It was working people.
28:57They paid the price of this.
28:58They are still paying the price of this.
29:01And Labour government
29:02will not inflict that
29:04on our country again.
29:05We were elected with a mandate
29:07to change this country
29:08because of what had gone before.
29:10And that is what we will do.
29:12Yes, I acknowledge the frustration.
29:14Yes, I acknowledge
29:15the results are tough.
29:17Yes, I acknowledge
29:17that we've lost brilliant representatives
29:19across the United Kingdom.
29:22And I have a responsibility for that.
29:24But I also have a responsibility
29:25to deliver the change
29:27that we were elected
29:28and that we promised this country.
29:30And I'll deliver on that.
29:31Thank you very much, Beth.
29:33APPLAUSE
29:38What did Victoria,
29:40what's Vic said to you this weekend?
29:42Vic is a rock.
29:44And we talk everything through
29:45together as you know.
29:48Robert Peston from ITV.
29:50Prime Minister.
29:52These were arguably
29:54the worst election results
29:56for Labour in 100 years.
30:00And, you know,
30:00I spent all weekend,
30:01as you'd expect,
30:02talking to your MPs
30:03and ministers.
30:04And, you know,
30:05most of them said to me
30:06that they do think
30:07your time is up.
30:08So what would...
30:10No, no, no, no, no.
30:11What would persuade you
30:14that you're not
30:15the best person
30:17for this job?
30:18And just on this issue of
30:19this is no longer the time
30:21for incremental change,
30:23when you were elected,
30:24we'd had 15 years
30:26of no growth.
30:27We'd had Putin's war
30:29that led to the worst
30:30energy spike in history.
30:33Many would say
30:34Brexit had failed.
30:35Why didn't you get it then?
30:37Well, Robert, look,
30:39I'm not going to shy away
30:40from the fact
30:41that I've got some doubters,
30:43including in my own party.
30:46And I'm not going to shy away
30:47from the fact
30:48that I have to prove them wrong,
30:49and I will.
30:50I had my doubters
30:51when I took on the Labour Party.
30:53I had my doubters.
30:54They said,
30:54we couldn't change this party
30:56and make it capable
30:57of winning an election.
30:58And I proved them wrong.
31:00And when we did that,
31:01I had my doubters
31:02who said,
31:02you can't lead us
31:03to a general election victory
31:04after the loss in 2019.
31:06It was so bad.
31:08It's not possible.
31:09And I proved them wrong.
31:11And I'm going to prove them wrong
31:12again here.
31:22I also feel a deep sense
31:24of personal responsibility
31:26to deliver
31:27on the mandate
31:28that we won
31:29at that 2024 election.
31:31The first Labour government
31:32for 14 years
31:34that had to come in
31:35and clear up the mess
31:36and build a better Britain.
31:37That is what I came into politics
31:39to do,
31:39and that is what I will deliver.
31:41Thank you very much.
31:41And Robert II
31:43on the incremental.
31:44Look,
31:46you heard what I said
31:47about Scunthorpe.
31:48This is an example
31:50of the urgency
31:51and the pace
31:52and the type of decisions
31:54that we need to make.
31:55The same with Europe.
31:58A bigger response,
31:59a bigger argument
32:00that has been made before
32:02because we're living
32:03in different times.
32:04The Iran war
32:05comes on top
32:06of all the other crises
32:07we've faced
32:08for 20 years.
32:09We have to learn
32:10the lesson
32:11every single time
32:12in the past.
32:13We've simply tried
32:14to get back
32:14as quickly as possible
32:15to a status quo
32:16that didn't work.
32:17We can't do the same again.
32:18That's why we need
32:19a bigger response.
32:20Thank you very much, Robert.
32:21I've got Catherine Foster
32:23from GB News.
32:24Catherine.
32:25Catherine Foster, GB News.
32:27Prime Minister,
32:27the Labour Party
32:28was founded
32:28to represent
32:29the working class,
32:31many of whom voted
32:33for Brexit
32:34because they felt
32:35left behind.
32:36You've said yourself
32:37that the status quo
32:39is not working,
32:39but you're standing
32:41here in London
32:42and you're promising
32:43more Europe.
32:45You lost so much
32:47of your core vote
32:48in the Red Wall,
32:49in Wales,
32:50in Scotland,
32:52because working class
32:54communities feel
32:55that the Labour Party
32:56has abandoned them
32:57and that you
32:58don't get it.
33:00are they wrong?
33:02Well, Catherine,
33:03thank you very much.
33:04On Brexit,
33:06the reason I reminded
33:07everyone
33:08what Nigel Farage said
33:10is because that was
33:12the promise
33:12he put to the country,
33:14that we'd be stronger,
33:16we'd be richer,
33:17we'd have lots of money
33:18for the NHS,
33:20immigration would come down
33:21and it all proved
33:22to be false.
33:25And he doesn't
33:25take any responsibility.
33:26He's not going back
33:27to the country now
33:28saying it was a good thing,
33:29you've all benefited.
33:31He'll talk about
33:31almost anything else
33:33apart from the consequences
33:34of the one thing
33:37that he delivered
33:38for the country,
33:38Brexit.
33:39He doesn't want to
33:39talk about that
33:41and there's a reason
33:42for that.
33:43It didn't help
33:44working people.
33:45It turned out
33:46what he said
33:46wasn't true.
33:48That's why he doesn't
33:49want to talk about it now.
33:50But we have to talk
33:51about it now
33:52because we have
33:53to address
33:54the situation
33:54we're in.
33:55We have to give
33:56this country
33:57a stronger economy,
33:58a stronger defence
33:59and security set
34:01of arrangements
34:01given the world
34:02we are living in.
34:03And that's why
34:04I said what I've said
34:05about being
34:06closer to Europe
34:07and this government
34:08being defined
34:09by bringing Europe
34:10back together again
34:11and Britain
34:12at the heart
34:13of Europe.
34:14Thank you very much,
34:15Catherine.
34:22I've got Pippa
34:23from The Guardian.
34:24Pippa.
34:25Prime Minister,
34:26I've got a specific
34:27question for you
34:28and a wider one
34:28if I may.
34:29The specific one
34:30is if one of your
34:31MPs launches a contest,
34:33a leadership bid
34:34against you,
34:35will you fight it?
34:37And the wider one
34:38is do you think
34:39that Britain is
34:39ungovernable
34:40and if so,
34:41why and who's
34:42to blame?
34:43The media,
34:44your MPs,
34:45the government,
34:46you?
34:49Yes and no.
34:52No, I'm not
34:53going to walk away
34:54in relation to
34:55the first part
34:55of your question
34:56for the reasons
34:57I've set out
34:59and no,
34:59I don't think
35:00Britain is
35:00ungovernable.
35:02On the contrary,
35:03one of the things
35:04that I draw
35:04great strength from
35:05is all the
35:07millions of people
35:08who care passionately
35:10about their place,
35:11their community,
35:12where they live,
35:13where they work.
35:13The millions of people
35:14who give hours
35:15and hours
35:16and hours
35:16of their time
35:17for their community,
35:18volunteering,
35:19helping others,
35:19running teams,
35:20you name it.
35:21That is a great
35:22strength of our country.
35:25I draw strength
35:26from the fact
35:26that we are
35:27a reasonable,
35:28tolerant,
35:30decent country,
35:31a live and let live
35:32country,
35:33a diverse country.
35:34That is the real Britain.
35:35That's not
35:35an ungovernable Britain.
35:36That is the Britain
35:37that I will fight for,
35:39particularly in light
35:40of the opponents
35:41we now have
35:42politically,
35:43different to the opponents
35:44that we had before.
35:45That is the real Britain.
35:46That is the Britain I love.
35:48That's the Britain
35:48I'll fight for.
35:49Thank you, Pippa.
35:51Jim Pickard
35:52from the FT.
35:52Jim.
35:53Jim Pickard, FT.
35:54Prime Minister,
35:55you say you don't want
35:56incremental change
35:57and you say you want
35:58Britain to be
35:58at the heart of Europe.
36:00Are you ruling out,
36:01however,
36:03Labour manifesto
36:04at the next general election,
36:05including single market
36:07or custom union membership?
36:08Because without
36:08either of those things,
36:10our economy is very much
36:11not in the heart of Europe.
36:13Yeah.
36:13Well, Jim,
36:14what I want to do
36:16is take a big leap forward
36:18with the EU-UK summit
36:19this year
36:21and take us closer
36:22both on trade,
36:23the economy,
36:24defence and security.
36:26And that will then
36:27be a platform
36:28on which we can build
36:30as we go forward.
36:32But as we do that,
36:34I strongly believe
36:35we've got to turn our back
36:36on the arguments
36:37of the past,
36:38not open old grievances,
36:40but look forward together
36:42to how we make
36:43this country stronger,
36:44how we make
36:45this country fairer.
36:46And so that's the approach
36:47that I will take.
36:49I've got Audrey
36:50from The Times.
36:51Audrey.
36:53Good morning, Prime Minister.
36:54Aubrey Allegretti
36:55from The Times.
36:56To follow up
36:57on a previous question,
36:58you said that
36:58whether Andy Burnham
36:59comes back to Parliament
37:00is a matter for the NEC.
37:01Your business secretary
37:02said as much this morning,
37:03but he also said
37:04that it would be
37:05a distraction
37:06and that Labour
37:06shouldn't be fighting
37:08unnecessarily elections.
37:09Do you agree with him?
37:10Do you think Labour
37:11can afford to have
37:12two by-elections
37:13in Greater Manchester
37:14for the mayoralty
37:14and wherever Andy Burnham returns?
37:16And also, if I may,
37:17over the weekend,
37:18I think you gave an interview
37:19in which you suggested
37:20that you would like
37:21to be Prime Minister
37:22for a full 10 years.
37:24Some Labour MPs
37:25have been unhappy
37:25with those comments.
37:26Do you still stand by them?
37:28Well, on Andy Burnham,
37:29my answer, Aubrey,
37:30is the same.
37:31That will be a matter
37:32for the National Executive Committee
37:35if and when the issue arises.
37:38But just to be really clear
37:40on a personal level,
37:42I've worked very closely
37:42with Andy
37:44in our respective roles now.
37:45The first person I worked for
37:46when I came to Parliament
37:47was Andy.
37:48He wanted me and his team
37:50in the Shadow Home Office.
37:51I wanted to be in his team
37:52in the Shadow Home Office.
37:53So we work very well together.
37:54We'll continue to work
37:56very well together.
37:58If the issue arises,
37:59it'll be a matter for the NEC.
38:01On the decade,
38:02look, what I'm doing
38:03is spelling out
38:04the scale of the challenge
38:06that we face.
38:08It's the same argument
38:09I was making before the election,
38:11which is after the damage
38:12of the last government,
38:13it will take time
38:14to clear that damage up
38:16and to build the better,
38:17stronger country that we need.
38:19And that's the decade
38:21that I've been talking about.
38:22Do I recognise
38:23that we've got to turn this around?
38:25Yes, of course I do.
38:26Do I realise
38:27that we've got to respond
38:28to these elections
38:29in the way I've set out
38:30in the speech
38:31I gave a moment to?
38:32Yes, of course I do.
38:33And what I've done today
38:34is set out
38:34how I intend
38:36to address that task.
38:38Thank you very much, Aubrey.
38:39I've got Sophie from the Mirror.
38:41Hi, Sophie Huston
38:42from the Mirror.
38:43Thank you, Prime Minister.
38:44So do you agree
38:45with Angela Rayner
38:46that this could be
38:46your last chance
38:47to change course
38:49and save the Labour Party's future?
38:51And do you think
38:52the party should move
38:53more to the left
38:54to become, as you put it,
38:55a stronger version of Labour?
38:56And if I can just ask as well,
38:58since the losses in Wales
38:59and Scotland,
39:00have you spoken to
39:01Eleonard Morgan
39:02and Anas Sarwa
39:03and what was said?
39:05Let me take them
39:07in reverse order.
39:08I've spoken to both
39:09Eleonard and Anas.
39:11I'm not going to
39:11go through the conversation,
39:13but I have spoken to them.
39:14As I've spoken to
39:15many of those
39:17brilliant representatives
39:18who didn't get elected
39:21at this time
39:22and to council leaders
39:23across the country.
39:25I've spent a good deal
39:25of the weekend
39:26having those calls,
39:27but those calls
39:28did include Eleonard
39:29and Anas.
39:31In relation to
39:32the task of turning
39:34this around,
39:34look, I do understand
39:35the enormity
39:36of the task
39:37that we face.
39:38We inherited
39:40a terrible legacy
39:41from the last government,
39:44economically,
39:45public services,
39:45the NHS on its knees,
39:48and what we found
39:49when we got into government
39:50was even worse
39:51than we feared.
39:53And one of the mistakes
39:56I think we made
39:57was we wanted to level
39:58with the country
39:59about how bad things were.
40:01But we didn't convince people
40:03enough in that early period
40:06of the change
40:07that we would bring about
40:08and why their lives
40:08would be better.
40:10And that's why
40:10we have to change that
40:11and inject much more hope
40:13and optimism
40:15into what we are saying.
40:17And so I think
40:18Andrew and I agree,
40:19and I've spoken to Andrew
40:20as well, by the way,
40:21so I know exactly
40:23what her thinking is
40:24in relation to this.
40:25Thank you very much.
40:26I've got Jack from The Sun.
40:28Thank you, Prime Minister.
40:29Jack from The Sun,
40:30just on that point,
40:31when you did speak
40:31to Angela Rayner,
40:32did she rule out
40:33ever launching
40:34a leadership challenge
40:35against you?
40:36And also,
40:37you said in your speech
40:38just now
40:39that if you were ousted
40:41as Labour leader,
40:42it would plunge
40:42the country into chaos.
40:44Some of your critics
40:45say your government
40:45is already mired in chaos,
40:47but can you be clear
40:47about what you mean?
40:49Are you saying that
40:50because it is you
40:50with the mandate,
40:51if you were ousted,
40:53there would have to be
40:54a general election?
40:55Well, Jack's a lot
40:56bound up with that.
40:58I did speak to Angela.
41:00I'm afraid I'm going
41:00to disappoint you
41:01by not going...
41:02I've spoken to Angela
41:03many, many times,
41:04by the way,
41:04in the last few weeks.
41:06We are friends.
41:07We get on very well.
41:09But I'm not going
41:10to go through
41:11each and everything
41:11that we discussed
41:13in those calls.
41:15But on this question
41:17of chaos,
41:18look,
41:19the question whether
41:20if a government
41:21constantly changes
41:23its leadership,
41:25the question whether
41:26that damages the country
41:27is not an academic question.
41:28It's not something
41:29that you study at university
41:30and go through
41:31various theories.
41:32We tested it.
41:33We tested it to destruction
41:35under the last government
41:36and it inflicted
41:37huge damage
41:38on this country.
41:39A Labour government
41:40will never be forgiven
41:41if we repeat that
41:43and inflict that
41:44on the country.
41:45And that's what I mean
41:46when I say I'm not going
41:47to plunge this country
41:48into chaos.
41:51Jason from the Mail.
41:54Thanks, PM.
41:55That was a heartfelt speech.
41:57Your own MPs, though,
41:58at the end of last week
41:59were saying that you were
41:59detested on the doorstep.
42:01Those are their words.
42:03They said that people
42:04are no longer listening to you
42:06and that it doesn't matter
42:07how many heartfelt speeches
42:09you make,
42:10your own popularity
42:11is dragging this government
42:13down.
42:14In those circumstances,
42:16don't you owe it to them
42:18to step aside
42:19and give someone else a go
42:21at keeping these forces
42:22of darkness at bay?
42:24Well, look,
42:25I acknowledged,
42:27Jason,
42:28a moment ago,
42:29there is frustration
42:30across the country
42:33that the status quo
42:35which isn't working.
42:36There's frustration
42:38that politics
42:40is not working
42:41for too many people.
42:42And yes,
42:43there is some frustration
42:43with me.
42:44I acknowledge that.
42:46But that frustration
42:49that I'm describing
42:50has been built up
42:51over many,
42:52many years
42:52by people who feel
42:54that their lives
42:54are not getting better,
42:55that their city centre,
42:57their town centre,
42:58the place where they live
42:59doesn't look any better
43:00for them,
43:01that their children
43:02aren't going to get
43:03better chances
43:03than they got.
43:05That is what's driving
43:06that frustration.
43:07That is deep.
43:09That is political.
43:10That is the challenge
43:11we have to rise to.
43:13It's not a frustration
43:14that can be just
43:15cast aside easily.
43:16It's deeply bound
43:18in the status quo
43:20that has failed
43:21for so many years.
43:23And that's why
43:23we have to turn that around.
43:26And I've got Bethan McGinley.
43:28Hi.
43:30So you've talked a lot today
43:31about giving young people
43:33hope again.
43:34But for many young Britons,
43:35things like home ownership,
43:37secure work,
43:38and financial stability
43:39still feel further away
43:40than it did
43:41for previous generations.
43:43Why should they believe
43:44that this government
43:45can reverse that?
43:46Well, I think
43:47it's such a good question
43:48because I think young people
43:49have been very badly let down.
43:50Whether that's
43:51on opportunities at work,
43:54we've got the best part
43:56of a million people,
43:57young people,
43:58not in work,
43:58that's going to have
43:59a huge impact on them
44:00for the rest of their lives.
44:02People who can't get
44:02on the housing ladder
44:03very quickly
44:05or at all.
44:07And we have to
44:08instill the hope
44:10in them.
44:10We do that
44:11by changing what we're doing
44:12to help people
44:13get into work.
44:14We do that
44:15by taking better protections
44:16for renters.
44:18Too many young people
44:19are spending a lot
44:20of their income on rent,
44:21therefore they can't
44:22save their money
44:22to pay for a deposit.
44:24We're changing that
44:25with the Renters' Rights Act,
44:26which came into force
44:27just a week and a bit
44:29ago.
44:30And we're changing that
44:31with the hope
44:32of a better future
44:33and the sense
44:35in which they will be able
44:37to work,
44:38travel and study
44:39in Europe
44:40in a way
44:41which hasn't been possible
44:42in recent years.
44:43and in the end
44:45those young people
44:45are our hope
44:46because that's why
44:48I gave the example
44:49of my mum and dad
44:49and it's a very real example
44:50because I think
44:52very many people
44:53when they get towards
44:54the end of their lives
44:55do reflect and say
44:58what was my life about?
45:00and for my mum and dad
45:02in material things
45:04they didn't actually
45:05have a lot to show
45:06for their lives
45:07but they had this deep comfort
45:09I could really feel it
45:10this deep comfort inside
45:12that they,
45:13my mum and dad
45:14Rod and Joe
45:14that they had contributed
45:16to a country
45:17where the next generation
45:18would have better chances.
45:20That is the real hope
45:21and optimism
45:22in young people
45:23and that's where
45:24it resides with me
45:25because I think
45:26as I said in the speech
45:27that's the greatest hope
45:28of all.
45:29So thank you very much
45:29for that question.
45:30Thank you all very much.
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