Labour is in a fight for the soul of the nation, says Starmer

that he was “determined” to reclaim patriotism from Reform and renew the country. He also insisted he would remain in office and lead Labour into the next election.

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“Yes, and it will be an election about this very argument,” he said. “I will also be saying to the party, this is no time for introspection. You know what conference is like, thousands of people, there’s great energy, and there’s always the usual jostling for who’s up, who’s down, all the rest of it. This is much bigger than that. This goes to the heart of who we are as a country. We do not have time for introspection. We have to unite and fight ... we cannot miss this opportunity to set out our stall and take the fight to Reform.”

Starmer said that he would “confront Reform, not ape Reform”, after concerns inside his party that Downing Street was pitching to the right on issues including immigration to challenge Nigel Farage.

He singled out the Reform UK leader's attack on the scientific establishment this week, during which Farage said he would never “side with” medical experts, as an example of why the government had to defend key institutions.