Starmer labels Reform 'the enemy' as Labour braces for Liverpool conference

Keir Starmer condemned Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as "the enemy" and said Labour must win a "fight for the soul of the nation" ahead of the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, as his party sits about 10 points behind Reform in recent polls. In remarks reported ahead of the gathering, Starmer told The Guardian that history would not forgive Labour if it failed to mobilize every ounce of energy to defeat Reform, arguing there was an identifiable project that threatened the country’s history and values. He framed the conference as an opportunity to reclaim patriotism from Reform and insisted he would confront Reform rather than imitate it, amid internal grumbling that Downing Street had dragged the party toward the right on issues such as immigration.

The Labour leader also signaled his intention to lead the party into the next general election and urged members to ignore talk over his grip on power, while taking direct aim at Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who has suggested some MPs want him to mount a leadership challenge. Starmer’s remarks come as the party confronts a string of distractions: the departure of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, amid a broader controversy surrounding Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, who faces scrutiny over accusations that he concealed £730,000 in donations tied to the Labour Together think-tank.

In parallel with the leadership narrative, an exclusive Daily Mail poll portrays a public wary of Labour’s performance on the cost of living and immigration, suggesting Reform is the main electoral threat one year after Starmer’s landslide win. The survey found that two-thirds of working-class voters said Labour had failed to meet their expectations, with disillusionment strongest among those voters. They ranked dealing with the cost-of-living crisis as a priority, followed closely by immigration, and indicated that inflation had risen since Reeves took the treasury brief. Voters also questioned Labour’s ability to tackle illegal immigration and were skeptical about the party’s plan to address prison overcrowding, with a plurality predicting crime would rise under proposed changes.

The poll placed Reform UK at 29 percent, well ahead of Labour on 20 percent, with the Conservatives at 15 percent, the Lib Dems at nine and the Greens at eight. It also highlighted a stark contrast in the personal ratings of the two party leaders: Nigel Farage was viewed favorably by 42 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 37 percent (net +5), while Keir Starmer boasted a net unfavorable rating of minus 24 (27 percent favorable, 51 percent unfavorable).

The study underscored a fragile public mood: inflation remains a dominant concern, and many voters say the economy has deteriorated since Rachel Reeves took over the Treasury. It also suggested lingering public skepticism about Labour’s pledge to end the cost-of-living crisis and to clean up politics, with limited faith that the party can curb small-boat crossings or deliver on immigration reforms. Support for the Rwanda deportation scheme, though historically contentious, showed a modest edge in favor of its return—46 percent to 34 percent—indicating nuance in public opinion on tough-on-immigration policies.

Beyond policy issues, the poll highlighted broader doubts about Labour’s approach to crime and punishment. About 47 percent of respondents believed the proposals to reduce prison overcrowding could raise crime, while only 17 percent expected a crime decline, and a majority opposed cutting jail sentences to ease overcrowding. Taken together, the data suggest Reform’s rise reflects a broader voter unease with Labour’s record on core economic and security issues, even as Starmer seeks to frame the party as the keeper of national unity and patriotism.

As Labour prepares for the Liverpool conference, the party faces a testing moment: balancing internal unity with a message that resonates in a deteriorating economic climate and amid a wave of scandals that have dominated headlines. The Daily Mail poll emphasizes the scale of the challenge, even as Starmer argues that the fight against Reform UK is a fight for the country’s identity and future. The conference program and subsequent campaigning will be closely read for signs of how Labour plans to address cost-of-living pressures, immigration policy, and the concerns driving political realignment across core voting blocs.