Patrick Maguire

Well, look, it's certainly how his cabinet and how Labour MPs are seeing him.

And I'm afraid the consensus in the Labour Party is that it's just going to make it worse.

I mean, let me just read you a text I've got in the past two minutes from a senior adviser to a British cabinet minister.

They wrote, I've always wondered how people felt gathered in a muddy town square waiting for the procession to begin for a public execution of someone they knew.

And those are the stakes for Keir Starmer this morning.

And I'm afraid what people have seen of the speech that was briefed to British newspapers on Fleet Street overnight has not encouraged them to think he gets it.

look what he's going to say is uh in his words incremental change will no longer cut it he'll also say that britain should be yeah indeed and that britain should be back at the heart of europe but the problem is when you say britain should be back at the heart of europe that invites labor mps lots of humor in favor of closer ties the year not rejoining at some point in the future and the progressive voters that have abandoned the labor party for the greens and others

in recent days, encourages them to think Keir Starmer is going to do something big and bold.

But the message from number 10, and those cabinet ministers still prepared to go on television to defend him, is nothing's going to change about the UK government's red lines, which are very restricted.

They rule out single market and customs union membership.

which all invite the question, well, what's the point?

What are you saying?

Keir Starmer has given a million speeches in which he's essentially offered an extended narration on how little he can do as Prime Minister, sort of stroppily complaining about how difficult it all is.

And for that to be the offer, at the point where he's been resoundingly rejected by the public again, is just going to fill people with despair.

I think it's at least 15 for the duration of his leadership.

That's also the problem.

Every time Keir Starmer reinvents himself, another dozen or so Labour MPs question whether he is the man for the job.

He has occupied basically every conceivable position within the history and tradition of the Labour Party since becoming leader in 2020.

And the big question mark that voters have is, well, what is Guy for?

What does he believe?