Latest news with #SirAnthonySeldon
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer's start as PM worse than Liz Truss, claims expert
Leading historian Sir Anthony Seldon has described Sir Keir Starmer 's start as prime minister as the most inept in a century, suggesting it is even worse than Liz Truss 's brief tenure. Mr Seldon criticised Sir Keir for lacking a clear plan, not consulting previous prime ministers, and having an unclear purpose for his leadership. Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice agreed, stating it has been the "worst start for any newly elected prime minister, Labour or Conservative". Sir Keir recently admitted he was slow to address a growing rebellion over welfare reforms as he was focussed on foreign affairs like G7, Nato summits, and Middle East tensions. Despite significant backbencher opposition, Starmer is expected to win a crucial vote on welfare reforms on Tuesday.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Keir Starmer has had worst start of any PM in 100 years, expert warns
Keir Starmer has made the most inept start of any prime minister in a century, a leading historian has warned. Sir Anthony Seldon even suggested that Liz Truss, who lasted just six weeks in office before she was ousted by her own MPs, has done a better job than the Labour leader. 'Not in 100 years has anyone made s uch an inept start coming into the (role) with so little idea about what he is doing (and) why he is doing it,' he told Sky News. He said optimism and a focus on growth could tackle Nigel Farage's Reform UK. 'Show people that you are prime minister, show people you've got a story, show people things getting better across the whole country with growth and then that will deal with Reform.' He said part of the problem was that Sir Keir entered No 10 without talking to previous PMs, or working out 'who he needs to have around him or what his story or his purpose is'. Asked about Ms Truss, who was famously outlasted by a lettuce, he said 'at least Liz Truss had a clear plan". The judgement comes at a difficult time for the PM, ahead of his first anniversary in the job this week. On Sunday, he admitted he had failed to get to grips with the growing rebellion over welfare reforms earlier because he was focused on foreign affairs, including the recent G7 and Nato summits and the escalating tensions in the Middle East. He said that his "full attention really bore down" on the benefits changes last week, in the middle of a full-scale rebellion of more than 100 of his backbenchers, enough to defeat the government's plans. Ministers had hoped the reforms would save up to £5bn a year, but the climbdown means the chancellor Rachel Reeves faces having to find billions through possible tax rises this autumn. Despite the setbacks, the PM should win a key vote on welfare reform in the Commons on Tuesday, after a leading rebel indicated she would back the proposals. Louise Haigh said she needed to see the full detail of the plans on 'exactly how the new system will work.' 'But subject to that detail, I will be supporting the government on Tuesday in recognition that they have made significant progress and that they have protected the incomes of nearly 400,000 disabled people across the country," she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. The health secretary Wes Streeting suggested he was confident the government would win the vote, saying ministers were in a 'much better position', but did not rule out further concessions, adding "we've got to listen". The leader of the Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham has called for the Government to start from scratch and said the latest plans were "divisive and sinister", however. On Sir Keir's first year in office, the polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice agreed with Sir Anthony, saying it had been the 'worst start for any newly elected prime minister, Labour or Conservative.' He said Labour's landslide victory last summer had masked vulnerabilities in the party's support and its policies. 'Labour only won 35% of the vote — the lowest share ever for a majority government. Keir Starmer was never especially popular, and the public still don't know what he stands for' he told Times Radio. 'The only vision he's really presented is: 'We'll fix the problems the Conservatives left us.' But it's not clear how he wants to change the country.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Labour in chaos as Keir Starmer's allies slam rebel MPs after benefits U-turn - while Wes Streeting insists he DOESN'T want to replace PM amid claims he'll leave No10 'within a year'
Labour is engaged in a fresh bout of infighting as the fallout from Sir Keir Starmer 's benefits U-turn sparked new claims about the Prime Minister's future. In his third major policy reversal in recent weeks, Sir Keir has caved in the face of a backbench rebellion to water down plans to cut £5billion from Britain's welfare bill. It followed his previous U-turns on axing winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, and on holding a national inquiry into grooming gangs. The chaotic climbdowns have come as Sir Keir approaches his first anniversary as PM, following Labour's general election landslide in July last year. Leading historian Sir Anthony Seldon this morning claimed Sir Keir had made the most 'inept' start for any premier in the last 100 years. And polling guru Sir John Curtice said it was 'the worst start for any newly-elected prime minister, Labour or Conservative'. Meanwhile, Sir Keir was issued with a warning that he might not celebrate a second anniversary in Downing Street. An ally of Deputy PM Angela Rayner told the Mail on Sunday that they expected Sir Keir to be ousted within 12 months. 'After next year's Welsh and local elections, if Starmer does not stand down, he will face a challenge,' they said. 'People have just had enough and Keir is gravely wounded.' But senior Cabinet minister Wes Streeting attempted to rally round Sir Keir as he dismissed speculation about his own leadership ambitions. 'There is no other job I would rather be doing,' the Health Secretary told Sky News, as he hit out at 'mischief-making'. Mr Streeting branded questions about the PM's position as 'a load of rubbish', adding: 'I'm not entertaining it.' Other allies of the PM lashed out at those rebel MPs that had forced the PM's U-turn on benefits cuts. One MP told the Sunday Times that many of those elected to Parliament for the first time last July were suffering from 'main character syndrome'. 'These complaints about the PM not talking to new MPs - well he's a bit f***ing busy talking to President Trump,' they added. Another ally of Sir Keir said: 'I think there are a lot of [new MPs] who worked in the charity sector who think they are really important. 'There's no respect for a leader who has worked incredibly hard to fix the party and who got them elected just 12 months ago.' But the rebel MPs were also said to have felt 'emboldened' by the welfare U-turn, following claims of a need for 'regime change' in No10. The welfare U-turn has seen fresh scrutiny of Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, with the powerful aide coming under attack over his handling of the row. But, in a newspaper interview, Sir Keir insisted it was himself who should 'carry the can' for the humiliating climbdown. 'All these decisions are my decisions and I take ownership of them,' he said. The Government's original welfare package had restricted eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is the main disability payment in England. It also cut the health-related element of Universal Credit. Existing recipients were to be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support in an earlier bid by ministers to head off backbench opposition. But, following the Government's latest offer of concessions to rebel MPs, the changes to PIP will now only be implemented in November 2026 and apply to new claimants only. All existing recipients of the health element of Universal Credit will also have their incomes protected in real terms. Mr Streeting said he is confident the Government will now win a crunch House of Commons vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill on Tuesday. He told Sky News the changes 'have put us in a much better position', adding: 'As a result of the changes, it means anyone watching this morning who's in receipt of PIP now has the peace of mind of knowing that their situation is protected.' Mr Streeting refused to be drawn when asked if Labour backbenchers who vote against the Bill will lose the whip. 'That's not my decision,' he said. The concessions on PIP alone protect some 370,000 people currently receiving the allowance who were set to lose out following reassessment. Ministers had hoped the reforms would get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. But the concessions have left Chancellor Rachel Reeves needing to find money elsewhere and point to possible fresh tax rises in the autumn. Ex-Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, who was a leading rebel over the Government's now partially-reversed welfare cuts, called for Sir Keir to 'reset' his relationship with the British public. 'I think this is a moment and an opportunity to reset the Government's relationship with the British public and to move forward, to adopt a different approach to our economic policy and our political strategy,' she told the BBC. 'And I think that has been accepted from within government and a lot of people, both in the parliamentary Labour Party, but crucially, the country will really welcome that.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will hit out at Sir Keir as 'incapable of sticking to a decision' after he backed down on his plans. The reforms would only have made 'modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill', but the PM was 'too weak to hold the line', she is expected to say in an upcoming speech. Helen Whately, the Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary, claimed there were still 'a lot of Labour MPs who are very unhappy' over the Government's benefits reforms, despite them being watered down. Asked if the Tories would vote for the Government's Bill on Tuesday, she told Sky News: 'We're expecting to see a statement from the Secretary of State (Liz Kendall) tomorrow. We'll see actually, what she sets out in it. 'We have said that if there are more savings that actually bring the welfare bill down, if they'll get more people into work, and if they commit to using the savings to avoid tax cuts in the autumn, which looks highly unlikely at the moment, then they have our support.' Sir Anthony, the historian who is considered to be Britain's leading political biographer, said of Sir Keir: 'I think it is absolutely right that not in 100 years has anyone made such an inept start coming into the office of prime minister. He added that Sir Keir had shown 'little idea about what he's doing, why he's doing it, what story he's telling, what he's communicating'. Sir John, a leading polling expert, told Times Radio that Labour had seen the 'biggest fall in public support for any newly elected British government'. 'Labour only won 35 per cent of the vote - the lowest share ever for a majority government,' he said. 'Keir Starmer was never especially popular, and the public still don't know what he stands for.' 'The only vision he's really presented is: 'We'll fix the problems the Conservatives left us.' But it's not clear how he wants to change the country.' He added: 'Apologies rarely help. U-turns can suggest a lack of direction - which is already one of this Government's biggest problems.' The MP ally of Ms Rayner added that while the Labour Left would prefer Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to succeed Sir Keir, he is not currently an MP, making Ms Rayner 'the most acceptable and most viable option'. They rejected Ms Rayner's insistence that she had 'no desire' to be PM, saying: 'That's what she would say' – adding that of all the potential Labour leaders, she could challenge Nigel Farage as 'a genuine working-class woman against a man who just wants working-class votes'. But one MP close to Ms Rayner insisted last night that she was focusing on her Government job, and dismissed talk of leadership manoeuvreings as nonsense. A poll for the Mail on Sunday found that 61 per cent of voters think Sir Keir should quit as PM. According to the survey by Find Out Now, only 25 per cent think Sir Keir will still be in Downing Street by the next election, with even Labour supporters split 50/50 on the question. Futhermore, a total of 64 per cent think that Ms Reeves should be fired by Sir Keir.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Democracy ‘not a given' in Britain, top political biographer Anthony Seldon warns
Democracy is ' collapsing in the world ' and 'is not a given' in Britain's future, leading political biographer Sir Anthony Seldon has warned. Sir Anthony, known for his political biographies of UK prime minister's, sat down at Wales' Hay Festival on Saturday (24 May) to discuss Liz Truss ' short premiership and her predecessor, Boris Johnson 's, turbulent time in office. He also discussed the state of democracy today, and how fragile it could be for Britain. Speaking about what he called the 'deep state', Sir Anthony said: 'I don't think they have their own agenda, other than preserving democracy. 'On that point about democracy, let us not forget that democracy is collapsing in the world. The number of democracies are in decline and the reality of what it means to be a democracy is also in decline. 'Democracy is not a given. There was a time when Britain was not a democracy, there well may be a time in the future when Britain will not be a democracy again. 'And the United States, which was born out of the ribs of Britain, breaking away in 1776, has a head of state who does not believe in pluralism.' He added: 'Democracy is frail.' When asked at the end of the talk if he thought Britain would still be a democracy in 50 years, he referenced Britain's instinct against revolution and said: 'There's so much that's admirable in this country, there's so much resilience and care that I think that will hold us through. And good sense.' Sir Anthony also gave verdicts about former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson during the wide ranging talk. He claimed Johnson, the focus of Sir Anthony's 2023 book Johnson at 10: The Inside Story, 'does not believe in Brexit,' despite championing it in the public sphere. 'He wasn't interested. Brexit for Boris was his party ticket to get into Downing Street,' he said. 'He didn't believe in it. He does not believe in Brexit.' Hay Festival, which is spread over 11 days, is set in Hay-on-Wye, the idyllic and picturesque 'Town of Books'. The lineup includes Mary Trump, Michael Sheen, Jameela Jamil, and more. The Independent has partnered with the Festival once again to host a series of morning panels titled The News Review, where our journalists will explore current affairs with leading figures from politics, science, the arts and comedy every morning.
