Keir Starmer will warn the Labour party that it is in a “fight for the soul of the nation” and that history will not forgive his government if it fails to confront and defeat Reform UK and the populist right.
Speaking to the Guardian ahead of a vital conference for his leadership, he said he would tell disgruntled party members that now was “not the time for introspection” and infighting.
His remarks are likely be seen as a veiled dig at Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who has been touted by some as a potential successor.
The prime minister heads to Liverpool after a rocky few weeks marked by missteps and departures, and with Labour lagging 10 points behind Reform in the polls.
In his interview, Starmer urged his party to recognise the scale of the challenge ahead.
“I have to say to all of those attending conference, this is a real opportunity for us to make our argument about patriotic national renewal, to own patriotism, to define it for what it is,” he said.
“History will not forgive us if we do not use every ounce of our energy to fight Reform. There is an enemy. There is a project which is detrimental to our country. It actually goes against the grain of our history. It’s right there in plain sight in front of us. We have to win this battle.”
While Starmer’s focus will be on setting out his own vision for renewing the country, he will also urge Labour not to be distracted by speculation over his grip on power.
Burnham – who would need a Westminster seat – is seen by a number of Labour MPs as someone who could provide a more robust challenge to Reform, as well as a change in economic strategy.
With Starmer’s premiership under scrutiny, Burnham said this week he had been privately encouraged to challenge the prime minister.
But Starmer said he was determined to reclaim patriotism from Reform and renew the country.
He also insisted he would remain in office and lead Labour into the next election. “Yes, and it will be an election about this very argument,” he said.
“I will also be saying to the party, this is no time for introspection. You know what conference is like, thousands of people, there’s great energy, and there’s always the usual jostling for who’s up, who’s down, all the rest of it. This is much bigger than that. This goes to the heart of who we are as a country.
“We do not have time for introspection. We have to unite and fight … we cannot miss this opportunity to set out our stall and take the fight to Reform.”
Starmer said he would “confront Reform, not ape Reform”, after concerns inside his party that Downing Street was pitching to the right on issues including immigration to challenge Nigel Farage.
He singled out the Reform leader’s attack on the scientific establishment this week, during which Farage said he would never “side with” medical experts, as an example of why the government had to defend key institutions.
“Yes, we do have to, and it’s really important, because once we lose the anchor of thinking that truth matters we are on a very, very slippery slope. What Nigel Farage has said about science recently needs to be absolutely shown to be what it is, which is lies feeding off a sense of disaffection.”
He also criticised Jeremy Corbyn, his leftwing predecessor as leader who he ousted from the party, claiming the veteran MP would “not get behind the fight, because he’s into the politics of grievance on the left” as much as Farage was on the right.
With the budget looming large over the party conference, and tax rises looking ever more likely, Starmer admitted it was going to take time to turn the economy around. “There are no easy decisions. But we mustn’t move away from our fiscal rules,” he said, a direct retort to those advocating more borrowing.
“Three years ago this week, Liz Truss tried an experiment of moving away from fiscal rules – in her case to do tax cuts. We all know what the result of that was. The same will be true for spending and borrowing outside the fiscal rules. So we have to be really clear about that.”
He did not rule out increasing taxes but said the government would “set out our case” for any changes at the budget. The Treasury is expected to receive figures from the budget watchdog next week.
However, he gave his clearest indication yet that he was planning to lift the two-child benefit cap. “We’re going to bring down child poverty. That is the clear intent of this government. It’s my clear personal intent. I’m very proud that the last Labour government did so obviously, we’ve got a taskforce which will report, but we will be taking measures to bring down child poverty.”
The prime minister threw his weight behind his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who has faced intense criticism from within the Labour party, as well as attacks from the Conservatives. “Of course. But next week is not about who’s up, who’s down, who’s saying this about somebody else,” Starmer said.
The Electoral Commission said on Friday McSweeney would not face another investigation into undeclared donations to the Labour Together thinktank after it found “no evidence” of any other potential offences.
At a progressive governance conference in London on Friday, Rachel Reeves also underlined the economic challenge ahead. “I’m chancellor in the world that we are in, not in the world that we may wish it to be,” she said.
“In those tough times, it’s even more important that we have somebody who’s got a grip, has a plan, knows what they’re doing, and is not willing to be dragged off course by every siren call.”
At the same event, Starmer confirmed that a new digital ID card would be introduced by 2029 that would be mandatory for people working in the UK. Darren Jones, spearheading the policy in No 10, said it could form “the bedrock of the modern state”, an indication that it could have much wider uses in future, perhaps including the benefits system.
Responding to Starmer’s comments, Farage said it was Labour that was the enemy of the British people and that only Reform was “truly on their side”.
