'If Rachel Reeves goes then Starmer has to go too'

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves has been left in her job because if she is ousted Sir Keir Starmer “will have to go” too, Kemi Badenoch claimed in a blazing attack on Labour.

- BY DAVID WILLIAMSON Chief Political Commentator

Sir Keir's future as PM is inextricably linked to that of the Chancellor, says Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, inset

The Conservative leader said Sir Keir’s regime “is in tatters” as 2025 draws to a close and warned “he is in trouble”.

The Prime Minister could well face a leadership challenge, if Labour suffers disastrous results in the looming May elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments as well as councils in England.

But Mrs Badenoch said that a change at the top will not rescue the party, as the potential successors are “as bad as each other”.

She said: “There’s this myth that it is just because Starmer is a dud, or if they only had Ed Miliband or Wes Streeting or Angela Rayner everything would be fine.

“That's not true. The reason why things aren’t fine is because of Labour itself. They are a party that was built for a different era.”

Mrs Badenoch said a key reason why Ms Reeves is still in control of the Treasury is because “they probably don’t have anyone else who wants to do the job”.