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Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions for UK datacentres, raising environmental concerns.
The Guardian World1 min read
Labour MPs have put Starmer on notice after election battering. Can he turn it around?
TL;DR
Labour MPs are urging Keir Starmer to make significant changes following disappointing election results. Even loyal ministers express concern over his leadership and the need for a turnaround.
Key points
- Labour MPs are urging Keir Starmer for quick changes.
- Senior ministers express concern over Starmer's leadership.
- Powerful unions demand a promise for change.
- Voter dissatisfaction is high after 22 months of Starmer's government.
"Over to you Keir," says a senior minister, not mincing his words.
Not everyone in the Labour Party wants there to be a challenge to the leadership, but even Sir Keir Starmer's most loyal ministers are pushing him to change - and fast.
The prime minister is nothing if not a determined man. But can he show he can turn it round?
Millions of voters have told him they aren't impressed with what he's been doing in 22 months of government - and, as each hour passes, more of his colleagues are going public to say, neither are they.
The powerful unions, who still pay the party's bills, have put the prime minister on notice, too. One of their leaders told me: "It's been a slow motion car crash – we need a concrete promise that things will change."
Labour has been battered at these elections - and it being expected makes it no less painful.
At count after count, seat after seat, the party lost to Nigel Farage, a man many in Labour deride as a vaudeville performer who harbours offensive views.
In other parts of the country, Labour gave ground to another leader, Zack Polanski, who used to be an actual performer, a hypnotist, and a Lib Dem.
The success of Reform UK under Farage is extraordinary, and the progress of the Greens under Polanski is impressive too.
But for some in Labour the grating thing about their dismal position now is it's different to losing to the Conservatives - that feeling is familiar, it's in their DNA.
So how can Labour escape this new bewildering world of pain?
Starmer's allies say the best thing to do is to be better, move faster, govern more effectively, and to show voters "the change" - the most overused, ill-defined couple of words in politics.
What they really mean is they want to appear like a group of people who know what they're doing, and will make a meaningful improvement to your life. "We made unnecessary mistakes," Starmer said on Saturday, including not doing "enough to convince [the public] about the change that would impact them, how their lives would be better".
"The hope wasn't there enough in the first two years of this government," Starmer added.
Downing Street is already trying to show he is cracking on – surprising Westminster by bringing in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman as unpaid advisers on global finance and women and girls (although precisely how Harman's new job differs to the appointment she was given last year is not clear).
Global finance and women and girls are, of course, important issues. It's hard not to conclude those decisions are also to beef up the prime minister's political security - one of Brown's nicknames was the "clunking fist", after all.
Q&A
What are Labour MPs saying about Keir Starmer's leadership?
Labour MPs are pushing Keir Starmer to change quickly due to dissatisfaction with his leadership after poor election results.
How have powerful unions reacted to Starmer's performance?
Powerful unions have expressed their discontent, stating they need a concrete promise from Starmer for change, describing the situation as a 'slow motion car crash.'
What do voters think of Keir Starmer's government so far?
Millions of voters have indicated they are unimpressed with Keir Starmer's actions during his 22 months in government.
Is there a possibility of a leadership challenge within the Labour Party?
While not everyone in the Labour Party desires a leadership challenge, there is growing pressure on Starmer to improve his performance.
