Starmer says progress will ‘take time’ as he urges voters to judge him at next election
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said it will take time to “turn the country around”, urging voters to judge his government at the next general election.
Speaking to the BBC during the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Sir Keir said his administration had taken “good steps”, particularly on easing cost-of-living pressures, but acknowledged that “more needs to be done”.
The comments follow a difficult period for the prime minister, marked by growing criticism from within his own party and speculation that he could face a leadership challenge. The government also enters a challenging week ahead of the Budget, with the chancellor widely expected to raise taxes.
Asked why some opinion polls suggest he is currently the least popular prime minister since modern polling began, Sir Keir said the government had inherited “14 years of failure” and warned that expectations of rapid change were unrealistic.
“We won an election last year on a manifesto that promised to change the country after 14 years of failure,” he said. “I always said that would take time because you can’t turn around 14 years of failure in just 12 or 16 months.”
Sir Keir identified three priorities by which he expected to be judged: improving living standards, strengthening public services — “particularly the NHS”, which he said had received record investment — and increasing people’s sense of safety and security.
“I have no doubt that I will rightly be judged against that at the next election,” he said.
The next general election is scheduled for 2029, though the prime minister has the option to call one earlier. Sir Keir has repeatedly insisted he intends to lead Labour into that contest.
