New Year… same old Keir: Robotic PM reads out ‘rousing’ note to grim-faced Cabinet urging them to ignore apocalyptic polls and focus on cost of living
Keir Starmer told the Cabinet today he is tackling the cost of living crisis despite more evidence that ordinary families are struggling.
The Prime Minister, who brought his senior team together for the first time in 2026, said he was acting to relieve the pressure and acknowledged that the government would be evaluated in this direction when the election comes.
Reading a statement from a piece of paper, Sir Keir urged his colleagues to ignore doomsday polls and leadership squabbles.
But the meeting comes after figures show consumers are racking up more credit card debt as food prices rise in the run-up to Christmas.
A YouGov poll published today found Labor placed third behind the Conservative Party. The 17 per cent support matches the lowest support ever recorded for the government, while Reform is well ahead at 26 per cent.
Sir Keir said: ‘I know many families in the UK are still worried about the cost of living. When I talk to people they tell me this is the biggest problem they face. “We are on their side.”
Acknowledging the threat of Reformation, Sir Keir said: ‘I do not underestimate the size of the task. But I have no doubt about this team.
‘Governments do not lose by falling polls. When they lose their faith or courage, they lose. We won’t do either.’
Keir Starmer told the Cabinet today he is tackling the cost of living crisis despite more evidence that ordinary families are struggling
Rather than memorizing what he said or exaggerating what he said, Sir Keir had marked the text with instructions on how it should be delivered.
Sir Keir told ministers they would be assessed at the next general assembly on whether ‘people are feeling better’.
‘This will require hard work, focus and determination from all of us,’ he said. ‘Together, as a team, we will overcome this challenge and serve the whole country.’
The Labor government is taking action to tackle the cost of living, including a £150 cut on average energy bills, but Sir Keir has told ministers they need to go further.
He said: ‘Our challenge this year is to prove that politics can work. Nowhere is this more important than putting more money in people’s pockets.
‘I know many families across the country are still worried about the cost of living. For most people, this is the most important and biggest problem they face. And we are on their side.
‘Yes, it is a world full of uncertainty and turmoil, but tackling the cost of living remains and must remain our focus.’
The Prime Minister highlighted policies to start this year, such as freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years and increasing the National Living Wage by £900 a year for millions of the lowest-paid people.
He also mentioned that mortgage rates are the lowest since the 2022 mini-budget.
‘With economic stability restored, interest rates fell sixfold, helping homeowners with their mortgage payments,’ he said.
Mr Starmer added: ‘At the next general election we will be judged on whether we are delivering on the things that really matter: are people feeling better, are public services improving and are people feeling safe and secure in their communities?
‘This will require hard work, focus and determination from all of us. ‘Together, as a team, we will overcome this challenge and serve the whole country.’
Focusing on the cost of living is clearly the new tactic as Downing Street desperately tries to revive the Prime Minister’s fortunes.
But the first day of the New Year ‘relaunch’ was completely overshadowed yesterday by questions about the effects of the US operation in Venezuela and the invasion of Greenland.
Sir Keir’s ministers are likely to have assessed the international situation this morning.
They also held a political Cabinet session, attended by new deputy leader Lucy Powell.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting was again forced to answer questions about his leadership ambitions as he toured broadcast studios this morning.
Sir Keir’s efforts to get a head start on 2026 after a disastrous 2025 have already run into trouble.
He is accused of ‘betraying’ Brexit and flouting his own manifesto after claiming it would deepen Britain’s ties with the EU single market.
The Bank of England report published yesterday showed that the annual growth rate in consumer loans increased to 8.1 percent in November, from 7.5 percent in the previous month.
The cabinet met for the first time in 2026 this morning
The report published by the Bank of England yesterday showed that the annual growth rate in consumer loans increased to 8.1 percent in November, from 7.5 percent in the previous month.
This includes a 12.1 percent increase in credit card borrowings; It is the highest figure since January 2024, when it was 12.5 percent.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen yesterday warned that a US raid on Greenland would threaten ‘NATO and therefore the security that has been maintained since the end of the Second World War’.
Sir Keir said Britain was ‘standing with’ Denmark on Greenland, while Mr Streeting told Sky News on Tuesday that the ongoing threat from Russia meant ‘this is not the time to destabilize NATO and undermine our collective security’.
