Sir Keir Starmer told 'change or die' by rebel MPs as voters say they've 'had enough'

Reform UK made sweeping gains, winning the previously safe Labour seat of Runcorn and Helsby by just six votes, seizing two mayoralties, and picking up 677 council seats.

In an article for The Mail on Sunday, Carden wrote: “It was the working class that turned its back on Labour last Thursday.

“They understand that the present system is not working in their interests. People feel abandoned… They look at Westminster and see strangers in charge.”

A new Mail on Sunday poll adds to Labour’s mounting troubles, showing that most voters now expect Farage to become the next Prime Minister.

The survey by Find Out Now found that 63 per cent believe he will take No 10 at the next general election, more than double the 31 per cent who back Starmer and far ahead of the 6 per cent who think Tory leader Kemi Badenoch can revive her party’s fortunes.

The poll also revealed that 71 per cent of voters believe Labour should replace Starmer, while 70 per cent think the Conservatives should oust Badenoch.

MORE LIKE THIS:

• REVEALED: Keir Starmer's EU reset torpedoed as majority back hard Brexit pledge ahead of crunch talks with EU
• 'Mask has slipped!' Keir Starmer told to SACK Labour minister over 'abhorrent' grooming gangs comment
• ‘He’s a coward!’ Nigel Farage rubs salt in Keir Starmer’s wounds with fresh attack just moments after by-election triumph

Many Labour MPs are growing increasingly alarmed at what they describe as the party’s “obsession” with net zero and its failure to respond decisively to concerns over immigration, both of which are seen as key drivers of support for Reform.

Tony Blair’s recent criticism of Labour’s climate stance appears to have struck a chord.

Last week, the former Prime Minister warned that voters are “being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know that their impact on global emissions is minimal”, a view shared by 72 per cent of those polled.

Backbenchers also point to what they see as a vacuum of strong leadership.

Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw and chair of Labour’s Red Wall group, said: “After a good kicking at elections, the usual response from the ruling party is that we are listening. But this isn't going to wash.

“Labour needs a reset. Sir Keir Starmer needs to start showing [strong] leadership and stop the Government pussyfooting around. He should take a leaf out of President Trump's book by following his instincts and issuing some executive orders.”

White warned that a decision to remove winter fuel payments from over ten million pensioners risked becoming “our poll tax problem.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage celebrated Reform UK’s gains, including the election of Dame Andrea Jenkyns as Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire and Sarah Pochin’s razor-thin win in Runcorn and Helsby, as a turning point.

He declared this marked “the end of two-party politics” and “the death of the Conservative Party”.

Farage vowed to reject migrants in councils controlled by Reform and proposed sweeping Trump-style cuts across local Governments.

In a speech in County Durham, where Reform ended a century of Labour dominance, he accused the Government of “dumping” migrants in the North and said: “I don't believe Starmer has got the guts to deal with it.”

He also warned council workers engaged in climate or diversity roles to consider “alternative careers.”

The Liberal Democrats also made major inroads, gaining over 100 council seats and squeezing the Tories in southern England. Leader Sir Ed Davey declared the Lib Dems had become the “party of Middle England.”

In response to the backlash, Sir Keir struck a contrite tone: “My response is simple: I get it,” he wrote in The Times.

“Now is the time to crank up the pace on giving people the country they are crying out for.”