2 days Ago By Martyn Brown
It is a sign of just how badly things have gone when a new Prime Minister is forced to do a “reset” after just five months into the job. Yet that’s exactly what Sir Keir Starmer will begin tonight as he delivers a speech to the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet in the City of London. Sir Keir hopes the address will kick off a week in which he stabilises his floundering premiership following the widespread anger at Labour's tax plans and his “freebies” row.
His first months in No10 have also seen the PM forced to sack Sue Gray as his chief of staff amid Downing Street infighting. He faced further embarrassment in recent days with the resignation of Louise Haigh as transport secretary when it emerged she had a criminal conviction. And there were further warnings this morning that Labour’s budget raid will put tens of thousands of jobs at risk in family-owned businesses.
With discontent growing around the country, Sir Keir will don a white tie and tailcoat as he delivers his message surrounded by the rich and powerful. The PM will no doubt dwell on the economy, the poor inheritance he believes he has received from the Conservatives , and his determination to stay the course set in the recent budget. But with immigration surging, the economy spluttering and a looming unemployment crisis in 2025, Sir Keir may well look back to his first five months as PM with rose-tinted glasses.
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