The reason Starmer still thinks he has what it takes

What are the prime minister’s chances of survival?

- ANNE MCELVOY

As Keir Starmer spoke to party supporters in London after the rude rout of local elections, I watched him exude a mixture of defiance and irritation - that he should be pleading for his job less than two years into power.

Damn the pesky voters turning the Red Wall a Reform-hued turquoise.

Never mind trailing the SNP, only a few seats ahead of Reform at Holyrood, and being blasted off the map in Wales. The prime minister has the look of a man who firmly believes he is in the right place, and yet many colleagues tell him the game is up.

The main effect of Starmer's latest "reset" on Monday was to bring to a head a conflict over his leadership that has become a virus in the Labour body politic. It prompted health secretary Wes Streeting to leave cabinet, and Andy Burnham to set out on his rocky path from Manchester via a by-election hastily facilitated to grant his route into the contest.

And yet, somehow, Starmer ends the week in No 10, while the gales howl outside. As such, he exhibits a phenomenon which is underrated in understanding how politicians tick - a belief in defying the odds. It's the one reason why Starmer still has some conviction that he can tough it out.