Sir Keir Starmer promised his Government would make people “feel better off and more secure” as he sought to fight back after a summer which has seen asylum protests and tumbling Labour poll ratings.
As MPs return to Westminster, the Prime Minister said he was “rolling up my sleeves to deliver change”.
But he faces a series of looming challenges, with Rachel Reeves having to make tough choices in her budget this autumn, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK on the rise and a potentially difficult Labour conference in late September.
Sir Keir used a column in The Mirror to turn his fire on Reform and the Tories while promising he will deliver “national renewal”.
“While Reform and the Tories talk down the country at every turn, we’re doing the work to make people’s lives better,” he said.
“I’m not interested in scaremongering from the sidelines. I’m rolling up my sleeves to deliver change that makes a difference to you and your family.”
The Prime Minister is expected to carry out a ministerial reshuffle in the coming weeks although this may not extend as far as the Cabinet.
He will hope that the changes, along with a shake-up of Downing Street officials, can revive the party’s flagging poll ratings, which have seen Reform UK open up a healthy lead over Labour.
Sir Keir said working people had been left “paying the price” for Conservative failures on homes, transport, energy, infrastructure and skills training.
But he insisted: “We’re improving transport infrastructure and building new homes across the country. We’re investing in the future, with new technology, skills training and good, well-paid jobs.
“Renewing Britain will take the skills and talents of everyone in the country so we are determined to unlock potential and talent whatever someone’s background or upbringing.
“With this government, our drive to deliver national renewal will make every person feel better off and more secure.”
