Keir Starmer just launched his last-ditch bid to save his premiership

Sir Keir isn't being subtle in his pitch for a new form of patriotism. Cabinet Ministers were spotted clutching Union Jacks and St George's crosses as they loyally watched the Prime Minister. And all of this is under the banner of the Prime Minister's "renew Britain" message.

Just as the Tories like to bang on about Margaret Thatcher's stint in power, the vision now being adopted is akin to Clement Attlee's pursuit of a New Jerusalem in 1945.

It's unapologetically patriotic, but rejects the elements of patriotism being pushed for by those on the right, particularly, as it turns out, if they stood beside the 2016 Vote Leave bus.

"We can choose decency or we can choose division, renewal or decline," Sir Keir told delegates.

"A country proud of its values, in control of its future, or one that succumbs against the grain of our history to the politics of grievance. It is a test, a fight."

But Sir Keir went even further, doubling down on Darren Jones's suggestion that Nigel Farage hates Britain. The Prime Minister said: "When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about our future? He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain, he doesn’t believe in Britain.

"He wants you to doubt it just as much as he does. He resorts to grievance, they all do. They want to turn this country, this proud country, into a country of victims."

The Prime Minister even accused Reform of being the "enemy of national renewal" as he vowed to fight Mr Farage's mass deportation plan with "everything we have".

And the attacks on Reform UK have not gone unnoticed. Nigel Farage is expected to deliver his damning rebuttal of Sir Keir's speech later this afternoon. And he has already warned that the Prime Minister's language towards him is inciting violence.

"Starmer is wholly unfit to be Prime Minister," the Reform UK leader said. Today's speech shows the gloves have finally come off between Labour and Reform UK.

However, GB News is all too aware that Labour's strategy for winning in 2029 has been fundamentally transformed since Sir Keir's triumph in the 2024 General Election.

It's not a fight for change, a fight against the Tories, it's a battle against a new force vying for power; Mr Farage's Reform UK. Workers' rights, Ukraine, the National Health Service, have become a cornerstone of Labour's three-party attack line against Mr Farage.

But Sir Keir's pivot towards patriotism, perhaps teased at in a pre-conference social media video, shows the Prime Minister is determined to park Labour's tanks on Reform's lawn.

It's being sold as declinism versus national renewal. However, while Sir Keir's push for a "new Britain" doesn't come without its frankness, it does appear slightly out of step with just how the public considers the country.

And Sir Keir should know all too well about this. Having entered power off the back of a call for "change", Britain remains very much at the same crossroads as it was when Labour came to power.

In fact, in some ways, it has been even worse. Channel crossings were up 40 per cent on the anniversary of Sir Keir's landslide victory. Unemployment soared to its highest level since 2021 in June, and inflation is ticking back up to four per cent.

And it's not just about migration and the economy. The public fear, irrespective of what the data says, crime is on the rise in Britain. Cuts to NHS waiting times haven't come quick enough and tax hikes for businesses have left a mark on the Great British high street.

For the average Briton, there isn't that much of a difference between the last Tory Government and this Labour one. And with that in mind, is it any surprise that one-in-three voters are now turning their attention to Reform UK?

However, in perhaps the biggest marker of Reform UK's impact on British politics, flag-fever again swept Liverpool, just as it had done for the Liberal Democrats Conference in Bournemouth last week.

"Now I’m not going to pretend I would enjoy it if England lost to Scotland or Wales, the union does have some limits," Sir Keir said.

"But I can say I’m not just proud of the Cross of St George or the Union flag, I’m also proud of the Saltire, the astonishing relationship between our four nations... a country forged by the solidarity of our working nations.

"So let’s fly all our flags, conference, because they’re our flags, they belong to all of us and we will never surrender them.

"Let us unite our country behind us. Because this is no time for dividers, this is the time for bringing the whole country together."

The challenge the Prime Minister faces is that in this game of patriotism, Mr Farage is the one currently coming out trumps. Beyond the "pound shop patriot" jibes, Mr Farage tops the polls when it comes to standing up for Britain.

Sir Keir is certainly right that nobody owns the Union Jack or the flag of St George, but the Prime Minister shouldn't overlook just how much pessimism there is in this country when it comes to the Establishment.

That's why Sir Keir's personal polling is tanking, that's why Labour is expected to struggle next May, and that is why so many people have decided to put their faith in Mr Farage, for now at least.

It's not to say it's over. It certainly isn't. Sir Keir can claw back voters by delivering on the things that matter to the British people. Some of that is firmly within the Labour Party's reach. The NHS is certainly an area where voters still trust Labour, perhaps more so after Wes Streeting's speech earlier today.

However, when it comes to legal and illegal migration, building an economy fit for everyone and challenging years of stagnation, the public is currently turning towards the turquoise tsunami.

However, the spectre of a threat to the left still lingers in the air. Pro-Palestine protesters have been out in force in Liverpool throughout this year's conference season. And, perhaps tellingly, the Prime Minister's first standing ovation came after he mentioned Britain's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.

In an attempt to stamp out criticisms from his hard-left detractors, Sir Keir also looked to own an issue close to the heart of those on the Right: migration.

"We had become a party that patronised working people and that is why we changed the party," Sir Keir said.

"Yes, conference, there are still some people who can’t listen in good faith on this issue, people who say we can ignore the crisis in our asylum system as long as we keep the economy moving.

"The British people are not unreasonable, they are decent, pragmatic, tolerant [...] Yes, they want secure borders, and that is a reasonable demand.

"Now we should always say plainly and with pride that asylum for people genuinely fleeing persecution is the mark of a decent, compassionate country. But secure borders are also vital for a decent, compassionate country.

"There’s nothing compassionate or progressive in a vile trade that loads people into overcrowded boats, puts them in dangerous condition in the Channel and ultimately exploits hope. So mark my words, we will smash the gangs and we will secure Britain’s borders."