Labour leader Starmer faces leadership doubts as conference opens in Liverpool

LONDON — Keir Starmer is fighting to hold Labour’s support a year into government as the party gathers for its annual conference in Liverpool and confronts internal doubts about the road ahead. Several lawmakers and analysts say morale is fragile, and a potential leadership challenge has begun to emerge from within the party, led by Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor. Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, described Labour’s mood as febrile: "They’ve only been in government a year and they’ve got a big majority, but most voters seem to be quite disappointed and disillusioned with the government."

Labour’s critics argue that the early months of Starmer’s tenure have been more managerial than transformative, and the government has struggled to deliver promised growth amid stubborn inflation and subdued prospects for public services. The global backdrop has complicated the tasks: Russia’s war in Ukraine has persisted, and U.S. tariffs under former President Donald Trump have left markets unsettled. Britain won a trade deal that eased some import duties, but the autumn budget is expected to present a grim choice between higher taxes and tighter spending, and possibly both. Starmer has acknowledged voters’ migration concerns but has condemned anti-immigrant rhetoric from the far right and argued that Reform UK—led by Nigel Farage—has become Labour’s principal opposition in practice, even though it holds only a handful of seats in the 650-member House of Commons. In a conference session outlined for Tuesday, Starmer is expected to set out a sweeping vision of renewal designed to energize Labour’s grassroots and persuade voters that his government is stabilizing after a rocky start. He has said he wants to show he has learned from mistakes and can deliver steadier government.

The party’s shifts at the top reflect a broader set of pressures. In recent weeks Starmer has lost his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, who resigned after a tax error on a home purchase, and Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, who left amid revelations about his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Additional exits from his backroom team have reinforced a sense of disarray as Labour tries to project unity ahead of local and regional elections. Burnham, a former Labour lawmaker turned big-city mayor, has signaled to the New Statesman that Labour must offer wholesale change to blunt a potential rightward challenge. He told the magazine that business as usual would not suffice and that a radically different plan is required, acknowledging that some lawmakers have approached him about a leadership bid even though he is not yet a sitting MP.

Migration and security remain another fault line. Britain has seen thousands of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats this year, with more than 30,000 people recorded so far. The issue has fueled protests outside hotels housing asylum-seekers and drawn large demonstrations from right-wing groups, including a march organized by anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson that drew tens of thousands to London this month. Starmer has condemned Robinson’s rhetoric and accused Farage’s Reform UK of sowing division, while insisting that Reform, not the Conservatives, is Labour’s main opposition.

Starmer’s broader framing emphasizes a contest over the country’s future. He has framed the debate as a clash between a “politics of predatory grievance” that pits people against each other and a vision of “patriotic renewal … underpinned by the values of dignity and respect, equality and fairness.” He says there is a national choice about what sort of country Britain should be, especially as the government prepares for an autumn budget.

Analysts contend that the government’s prospects hinge on how quickly it can deliver tangible improvements. Tim Bale noted that while Labour controls a large majority in Parliament, public sentiment appears discordant. He said: "Over time, greater investment in public services, in particular the health service, will probably begin to show some fruit. The economy may turn around as the government’s policies take effect. They may get the small boats problem under control over time. But it really is a case of just kind of waiting it out – and perhaps hoping that Nigel Farage and Reform’s bubble will burst."

The electoral calendar adds urgency. The government is not required to call an election until 2029, but local and regional contests in May are expected to test Starmer’s strategy and discipline. If Labour performs poorly in those votes, pressure for a change in leadership could intensify, even as his cabinet and allies seek to project stability. In the meantime, Burnham’s emergence as a challenger in the wings underscores the party’s unease about its direction and the pace of renewal.

As Labour delegates gather along the River Mersey, the party faces a balancing act: reassure voters that the economy can grow, national services can be steadied, and immigration policy can be managed without stoking alarm. Yet the internal churn and the placement of a potential leadership rival in Burnham’s orbit complicate the effort to present a unified front ahead of a broader contest that remains years away. The path forward, analysts say, will depend on a combination of policy delivery, messaging, and the ability to keep the party cohesive amid shifting public sentiment and a persistent sense that the government has yet to fulfill its promised revival.