Starmer Leads Cabinet Meeting As Growing Strains Following Resignation of Top Aide
Welcome. Keir Starmer chairs a government meeting this today following the departure of his deputy prime minister, his ambassador to Washington, and his top strategist all within less than a fortnight.
Parliament begins a four-week break this tonight, which will provide some respite. With lawmakers away from Parliament, they are less likely to engage in rebel activity.
Prior to their departure, lawmakers will spend three hours in a discussion on a former minister, which is expected to focus on whether the Prime Minister was right to appoint him initially and whether he has been completely honest about what he knew regarding communications to Jeffrey Epstein when he supported the envoy last week.
And there is more unfavorable developments for Starmer this today. A poll of party supporters shows:
- Only one quarter of them believe Labour is moving in the right direction.
- Merely 26% of them have a positive opinion of the leader, against 59% who view him negatively.
- Lucy Powell, who was dismissed by the Prime Minister as leader of the Commons, has a significant advantage over the education secretary, in the contest to be second-in-command. Phillipson is viewed as the pro-leader candidate, while her opponent is seen as the option for members who want to express some dissent.
Surveys are subject to error, party membership polling are particularly difficult, and in some respects the views of supporters are fairly irrelevant at the moment.
Likelihood of a contest anytime soon still look minimal, and even if the candidate were to win the deputy leadership, the post carries almost no official authority within Labour.
Still, the results doesn’t look good.
The Day’s Agenda
- 9.30am: The Prime Minister chairs cabinet.
- Morning: He meets relatives of people who died at a tragic event to mark the publication of the new legislation.
- Later: A senior figure is on a visit in the capital.
- Late morning: David Lammy takes questions in the Parliament.
- 11.55am: The policing minister gives a speech to the Police Superintendents’ Association.
- Noon: Downing Street holds a press conference.
- Lunchtime: Wes Streeting visits the emergency services.
- After 12.30pm: Lawmakers begin a lengthy emergency debate on the selection and events leading to the dismissal of the former envoy to the US.
Polling results is fallible, particularly when sampling a small group such as party members.
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