Starmer clings on amid Labour deadlock - The Latest
5/11/202612 min
Keir Starmer appears to have staved off an immediate leadership challenge but MPs are still calling for him to set out a timetable for his resignation. So can he cling on or has he run out of road? Lucy Hough speaks to senior political correspondent Peter Walker. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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First 90 secondsLucy Hough· Host0:00
This is The Guardian.
Peter Walker· Guest0:01
If Labour mess this up, then the chances are we have a Nigel Farage government. I know that people are frustrated, and some people frustrated with me. Keir Starmer promised a gesture, but it wasn't a holiday to the Maldives. It was like a three ninety-nine bunch of roses from the garage down the road. For a lot of Labour MPs, something needs to change. The question is what and when? This kind of whole game theory that a lot of what you do depends on what other people do, and it's very, very hard to predict, very fast-moving. We're still in this deadlock, really.
Lucy Hough· Host0:40
Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival as a make or break speech fails to calm mutinous MPs and calls grow for him to go by September. From the Guardian's Today In Focus, this is the latest with me, Lucy Hough. Well, I'm joined by Peter Walker, our senior political correspondent. Thanks for dialing in from Westminster, Peter- Hello ... on a very dramatic and fast-moving day and a very dramatic weekend, uh, in the wake of- I mean, dramatic today up to a point- [laughs] ...
Peter Walker· Guest1:09
as much as Keir Starmer manages drama, but yes.
Lucy Hough· Host1:12
Yes. Yes, that's a, a fair point. But nonetheless, Labour sort of mopping up the catastrophe of the loss of nearly fifteen hundred seats last week in the local elections, an unexpected leadership challenge yesterday from Labour MP Catherine West, and then a make or break speech