Labour rebrands Starmer as global statesman in scramble for votes

Party plans to use Prime Minister’s involvement in Iran peace talks to shore up support before local elections Daily Telegraph 08/04/26 Labour has described Sir Keir Starmer as a global statesman in an attempt to avoid a wipeout at the local elections next month, The Telegraph understands.

Party officials are planning to use the Prime Minister’s work on the Iran war to shore up support and keep Sir Keir in office. Although the elections will only directly affect councils in England and devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, a poor result for Labour will be viewed as a referendum on Sir Keir’s premiership. On Tuesday, Labour issued its first party election broadcast, which depicted Sir Keir against a black backdrop and between two Union flags. The video appeared to be an attempt to recreate an official Government podium, which under electoral law cannot be used for political campaigning. In the video, Sir Keir promised to “de-escalate and bring this conflict to an end”, arguing that while other politicians were “offering anger or easy answers”, he would not be “pressurised to change my view”. Party sources said Labour campaigners would also be sent out on the doorstep with lines to deliver to voters about the cost of living, which is consistently ranked as the public’s top priority and will be heavily affected by rising fuel prices because of the Iran war. Labour MPs have told The Telegraph they expect a challenge to the Prime Minister’s leadership if the party is routed on May 7, when more than 5,000 council seats are up for election in England. Labour is predicted to lose almost 2,000 seats and could, for the first time, lose control of the Senedd in Wales to Plaid Cymru. Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, and Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, are thought to have prepared for a leadership election but Labour believes the war will stave off a challenge for some months. Labour sources told The Telegraph the party would use Sir Keir’s involvement in peace talks to argue for him to remain in Downing Street. Polling shows that the public generally agrees with Sir Keir’s decision to ban the US from bombing Iran using British bases, although he has been criticised for it by Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the first day of the official pre-election period, Sir Keir travelled to Saudi Arabia to discuss the conflict with regional allies, and visit British troops at the King Fahd Air Base in Taif. His visit came hours after Mr Trump announced a ceasefire deal with Iran, although it appeared to have broken down by Wednesday afternoon when Iran stopped tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. A senior Labour source told The Telegraph the party would try to compare Sir Keir’s approach to the war to the positions of Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, when campaigning on doorsteps. “There is a contrast there that we will be drawing on, between what we are doing about Iran and what the Greens and Reform would do,” they said. “This ultimately comes down to who you want in charge at a time like this, when people are worried about their bills.” Labour has also posted dozens of social media graphics about the war in recent weeks, including a clip of Sir Keir speaking about the conflict at Prime Minister’s Questions, which has received more than half a million views on Instagram. A video of Mr Streeting accusing the Tories of a “hokey cokey” position on Iran has received 32,000 views, while another clip of Sir Keir promising not to be dragged into the conflict has received 600,000 views on Instagram. Mrs Badenoch and Mr Farage have accused Sir Keir of standing by while the US alone attempts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20 per cent of global oil and gas supplies. Britain has convened with other Nato allies, including France and Germany, to discuss options for keeping the strait open after the hostilities have ended.