‘Toxic’ Starmer kept away from campaign trail

Senior Labour figure says councillors ‘don’t want him near our voters’ Daily Telegraph 04/05/26 Sir Keir Starmer has been kept away from the local election campaign trail over his “toxic” image, The Telegraph has been told.

The Prime Minister is playing a limited role in Labour’s attempts to get out the vote, taking part in fewer than a dozen visits since the beginning of March. Labour is forecast to surrender up to 2,000 council seats in England on Thursday, as well as ceding the Welsh Senedd and losing out to the SNP in Scotland. A challenge to Sir Keir’s leadership is then expected within days, with his own MPs and ministers already conceding in private that he cannot stay on in the long term. Sir Keir’s historic unpopularity is expected to cause Labour to shed votes in multiple directions, losing support to Reform UK on the Right and the Green Party on the Left. One senior Labour figure told The Telegraph: “He really is toxic. There’s a visceral loathing of him and it’s spread through all the vectors; it’s not just one group. “He’s just seen as a completely insincere, two-faced person. Starmer has no followers, he only has enemies – it’s incredible.” An analysis by this newspaper found that Sir Keir had taken part in just 11 election campaign visits in the past two months. This paled in comparison to Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, who recorded 71 visits, while Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, made 41 appearances on the trail. One Labour MP said: “The truth is the vast majority of Labour councillors would be devastated if they were told Keir was joining them in their wards for campaigning. “So many Labour councillors don’t want Keir in their wards or on their leaflets. He is a vote loser for them, undermining their hard work and track record in their own communities.” A second backbencher added: “Colleagues have the impression that he isn’t campaigning and in any event most don’t want him near our voters.” Last month, a poll by Ipsos found that 74 per cent of voters were dissatisfied with Sir Keir, while just 18 per cent were satisfied. Labour trails both Reform and the Tories in the polls, with the Greens now just an average of one percentage point behind the governing party. A senior government source insisted that voters were sticking with Labour because they were opposed to Reform, but conceded that the Prime Minister did not appear to be playing an active role in the campaign. They said: “I think it’s true that he’s being kept away. When councillors heard about his trip to Armenia, they just laughed and said that’s the most useful thing he can be doing.” Sir Keir spent Monday at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, where he lobbied leaders across the Continent for closer British-EU ties. The Prime Minister has taken an increasingly strident anti-Brexit stance in recent months in an apparent attempt to appeal to backbenchers and activists who want him to go much further on Europe. While even Sir Keir’s staunchest party critics have praised his record on the world stage, Labour is likely to pay a heavy price on Thursday for his domestic failings and about turns. Several MPs said their constituents were still angry over Sir Keir’s decision in July 2024 to strip the winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners. The move was later partly reversed, but its political impact has continued to contribute to a “grim” and “demoralised” mood on the doorstep. “I have never known such hostility directed at Starmer,” said one MP on the Labour Right. “The idea he can fight the next election is for the birds.” This was echoed by a soft-Left source, who said: “On the doorstep, Keir’s reception now echoes Corbyn’s. A huge swathe of voters just don’t like him.” On Monday, Mrs Badenoch was out campaigning in Billericay, Essex, and she has more events lined up over the coming days. Reform sources said that Mr Farage, who was also out in Essex, has a packed schedule planned that will take the total number of campaign events he has attended more than 80 before the election. No 10 sources said that Sir Keir was planning to appear at campaign events before the polls open on Thursday morning. A Labour source said: “At a time when the country is facing a war on two fronts, Keir Starmer is showing the calm, level-headed leadership our country needs. “Keir Starmer and this Labour Government are on the side of working people. The Prime Minister is making the right choices to tackle the cost of living, cut NHS waiting lists and invest in local communities.” Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, are both expected to be out on the doorstep this week. Angela Rayner, the former Labour deputy leader, was also actively campaigning and joined party activists in east London last week. All three are seen as potential challengers to Sir Keir in a future leadership contest, although Mr Burnham is currently ineligible to lead Labour because he is not an MP. The mayor was blocked by the Prime Minister and his allies from standing at the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, which Labour went on to lose. Last week, Mr Burnham refused to rule out another attempt to return to Westminster and declined to say whether Sir Keir should stay in post after this week’s council polls. Meanwhile, The Telegraph revealed last week that Mr Streeting had recruited more than 81 MPs – the minimum required to trigger a challenge – and was contemplating his next move. Some supporters of Mr Streeting want him to move as early as Friday. A challenge to Sir Keir could involve either announcing a formal leadership challenge or his resignation from the Cabinet in the hope that others would follow and force Sir Keir to step down. But some senior ministers have rallied around the Prime Minister and warned his would-be rivals that a contest would plunge the party into crisis. Luke Akehurst, the Labour MP for North Durham, said: “It’s an escapist fantasy to think we can solve the electoral problems we have by switching leader. “The fundamental policy dilemmas facing Keir would also face a new leader and the process of change would have added to them by causing political instability and economic uncertainty.” One Labour MP insisted that while the public did not like the Prime Minister, there was no appetite among voters for the drama or division of a leadership contest. But for others, a contest could not come soon enough. One MP said: “Just put everyone in the party’s name into a hat and draw one out for the new leader. I don’t care anymore, just as long as it’s not Keir.”