Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rallied his cabinet for "the fight of our political lives", urging a relentless domestic focus amid warnings that the government lacks an emotional connection with the public.
Cabinet Confronts Polling Reality and 'Three Es' Strategy
During a tense cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, delivered a stark presentation. Sources revealed McSweeney told ministers the government must regain voters' trust through the "three Es" – emotion, empathy, and evidence. One insider stated McSweeney highlighted a "deficit in emotion" in the government's public communication, though a Downing Street source later contested the exact phrasing was used.
The intervention came as cabinet ministers themselves expressed concerns over the administration's ability to connect with ordinary people. The political challenge was underscored by the latest YouGov survey, which placed the Conservatives ahead of Labour for the first time since the general election, with both trailing Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Labour's support stood at just 17%.
Starmer's Domestic Focus Derailed by Global Crises
Keir Starmer emphasised to his team that the core mission must be addressing the cost of living, a strategy he believes can secure a future election victory. However, his planned new year agenda has already been disrupted by international events, including the need to respond to Donald Trump's raid on Venezuela and threats towards Greenland.
The prime minister's attempt to highlight a freeze on bus and rail fares during a visit to Reading on Monday was overshadowed by questions on these foreign policy crises. Starmer, who later travelled to Paris for a Ukraine coalition meeting, insisted the cabinet must maintain a "tight domestic focus".
He framed the coming political battle as a choice between "a Labour government renewing the country or a Reform movement that feeds on grievance, decline and division". He vowed the government would not lose its nerve despite dismal polling.
Labour Shifts to 'Incumbency First' Model
In a significant organisational shift, new deputy leader Lucy Powell attended cabinet and outlined plans to move the party to an "incumbency first" model. This strategy is designed to protect sitting Labour MPs at the next election rather than targeting new seats.
At the first Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) meeting of the year, Powell told MPs they must cease internal infighting and learn to claim credit for government policies benefiting their constituents. MPs will be offered workshops by Labour HQ organisers on how to highlight local impacts of national policies, such as frozen rail fares, community funding, and the warm home discount extension.
Powell warned that "dark forces" did not want the Labour administration to succeed and stressed the need to more directly communicate achievements. The government will seek to refocus attention on domestic action this Thursday with legislation to end the two-child benefit cap, a key demand from Labour backbenchers expected to lift almost half a million children out of poverty.
