Starmer frames fight for the soul of the nation against Reform UK ahead of Labour conference

Keir Starmer warned that Labour must win a 'fight for the soul of the nation' against Nigel Farage's Reform UK as the party heads into its annual conference in Liverpool, with the opposition running about 10 points behind Reform in the latest polling.

Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the conference, Starmer 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.' He framed the conference as an opportunity to reclaim 'patriotism' from Reform and added that he would 'confront Reform, not ape Reform', after facing backlash from inside his party that Downing Street has been steering the party to the right on issues such as immigration to challenge Farage.

The leader also insisted he would lead Labour to the next election and will urge his party to ignore speculation about his grip on power. His comments were interpreted by some as a dig at Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who has claimed mutinous MPs want him to challenge Starmer for the leadership.

The Prime Minister’s remarks come as the run-up to Labour’s conference has been shadowed by a string of defections and controversies. The party has seen the departures of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, in recent months. Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is also under scrutiny over allegations that he hid £730,000 in donations while running the Labour Together think-tank, despite being told he had a legal duty to declare them.

A separate, exclusive survey conducted for the Daily Mail frames the broader political climate as Labour confronts a difficult path back to a convincing majority. The poll suggests that just one year after Starmer’s landslide victory, two-thirds of the public believe Labour has failed to meet expectations. Disillusionment is strongest among working-class voters, among whom three-quarters say Labour has not kept its promises. Only 1% of working-class voters say Labour has exceeded expectations.

The survey also underscored voters’ priorities: addressing the cost-of-living crisis and immigration. With inflation around twice what it was at the election, respondents said they felt worse off, and many believed the economy had deteriorated since Rachel Reeves took over as chancellor. Voters expressed little faith that Labour would tackle illegal immigration, with just 28% saying Labour would stop small boats crossing the Channel and 64% saying they would fail. By contrast, 46% supported the return of the Rwanda deportation scheme—an initiative that Labour halted in its first week in office last year, by a 46-34 margin.

On law and order, public opinion was skeptical about Labour’s prison policy, which has included measures to reduce crowding by allowing early release for some offenders and proposals to scrap short sentences of less than a year. Forty-seven percent of respondents believed the proposals would raise crime levels, while only 9% predicted a decrease. Support for cutting jail terms to ease overcrowding was low, with 17% in favor and 51% opposed.

Overall, the poll positions Reform as the main electoral threat to Labour. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK stood at 29% support, compared with Labour at 20%, the Conservatives at 15%, Lib Dems at 9%, and the Greens at 8%. The survey also highlighted a stark contrast in personal popularity: Farage had a net favourable rating of plus five (42% favourable, 37% unfavourable), while Starmer’s net rating sat at minus 24 (27% favourable, 51% unfavourable).

The juxtaposition of Starmer’s rhetoric with the polling underscores the pressure on Labour to demonstrate credible governance and a plausible path back to office. The party faces a delicate balancing act: presenting a clear opposition to Reform while addressing voters’ concerns about the economy, public services, and security.

As Liverpool prepares to host Labour’s conference, party officials emphasize unity and discipline, and Starmer’s team argues that the leadership will stay the course on core priorities, even as internal critics press for sharper moves. The conference arrives at a moment when Labour is nevertheless trying to project stability after a turbulent period marked by internal infighting and external scrutiny, and as Reform seeks to consolidate its position as the main electoral challenger.

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