Sir Keir Starmer used his first Cabinet meeting following a major reshuffle to launch a pointed attack on the "politics of grievance" embraced by opposition parties. The Prime Minister told his reshuffled ministerial team they had a "patriotic duty" to deliver an alternative programme of national renewal.
Starmer acknowledged that driving economic growth remained the government's top priority to improve public services and living standards for working people. The meeting took place with new Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy by his side, following the recent departure of Angela Rayner.
Attack on Reform politics
Without naming Reform UK directly, Starmer delivered a clear swipe at Nigel Farage's party, which has been leading in recent opinion polls. He told ministers: "We're up against those that feed off the politics of grievance, those that do not want problems to be fixed, because if the problems are fixed, their reason to exist, their politics, ceases to have any role in our society."
The Prime Minister outlined his vision for "a Britain of decent, reasonable, compassionate, tolerant people" and described the mission as "the triumph of national renewal over divide and division and decline". He emphasised this represented both the government's "patriotic responsibility and our patriotic duty".
Leadership battles ahead
The focus on Reform rather than Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives signals Labour's view of where its main political threat now lies. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who attended the Cabinet meeting, has already launched her campaign to replace Rayner as Labour's deputy leader.
The deputy leadership contest threatens to trigger internal party divisions at a time when Labour is struggling with declining poll numbers. Cabinet unity may also face pressure as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares a challenging Budget requiring difficult spending cuts or tax rises to address public finance shortfalls.
Starmer stressed the importance of collective responsibility, telling his ministers: "You are representing the Government" rather than just individual departments. He described the reshuffle as preparation for the "next stage of our journey" as the government moves from "fixing the foundations" to delivering national renewal.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
