Rebels without a cause between them circling for PM's job

KEIR

- Sam Lister Deputy Editor

Starmer’s aides insist that 2026 is the year his fortunes will turn around, but his fate is no longer in his own hands. The Prime Minister’s reputation is now so low that crowds show their fury at public events he isn’t even attending.At the Royal Variety Performance, the audience booed the mere mention of his name as a comedian embarked on an impersonation of the PM.

During the World Darts Championship, fans broke out into chants of “Keir Starmer’s a w*****”,” something football fans started earlier in the year.

The Prime Minister’s Cabinet is in open revolt and those intent on replacing him are circling, waiting for their moment.

For most of the country — a staggering 72% of voters view him unfavourably — Starmer’s political demise this year would be the fresh start the nation needs. But the contenders to replace him do little to instil any sense of new year hope and optimism.

Wes Streeting showed how little authority his boss now has with an interview that can only be interpreted as a pitch for the top job, the second in the space of a month.

The Health Secretary is unsubtle, calling for Britain to rejoin the EU’s customs union, something Starmer has ruled out twice in the past month.