"There’s so much to go in the game and the most important poll is what happens at the final whistle.”
The Mayor of London has given a vote of confidence to Keir Starmer after saying that it would be ‘folly’ to replace the Prime Minister, given all that is happening in the world geopolitically and due to the need for stability during uncertain times.
Sadiq Khan made the comments during an interview with Bloomberg, after the Prime Minister faced pressure from both within and outside his party after revelations about Peter Mandelson’s security vetting process for the role of US ambassador.
Questions have been raised about what the Prime Minister knew and when, given that
Mandelson had failed his security vetting.
However, Khan has given a boost to the Prime Minister.
He was asked by Bloomberg if he thought Starmer would still be prime minister by the end of 2026.
Khan said: “Yes, I do. I think it would be folly, when we’ve got what’s happening in terms of geopolitics, when we see what’s happening in Ukraine and Iran and in Lebanon and the Middle East, when you see the progress we’ve made to change at this stage.”
The Mayor of London also said that people abroad admired the certainty and stability of the UK describing it as our ‘USP’ and asking: “Why do we want to jeopardise our USP by changing leader at this stage?”
He added that Starmer has a majority of 170 in the House of Commons and the next election doesn’t need to take place until the summer of 2029.
“The way I describe it, in football terms, is we’re approaching half time,” Khan said. “We are losing. The opinion polls shouldn’t be ignored.”
“But there’s so much to go in the game and the most important poll is what happens at the final whistle.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.