UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour peer Charlie Falconer urged Keir Starmer’s ministers to regain energy and assert their reforms, warning they risk being seen as “same-old politicians.”
As reported by The Guardian, former justice secretary Charlie Falconer warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government risks being labelled “tired” and urged it to revive its reformist image.
What did Charlie Falconer say about Keir Starmer’s government?
Charlie Falconer, who served in senior roles under Tony Blair, said the government lacked “energy.” He argued that restoring this drive was more important than pursuing a broader political narrative, a criticism often directed at the administration.
He said that failing to restore energy could cost Labour public trust for its major gains, including income reforms, housing rights, clean energy, and large-scale infrastructure.
Mr Falconer, a former close aide to Mr Starmer and member of his first shadow cabinet, said he still viewed the Labour leader as the right choice. However, he warned that mistakes in Labour’s first year had caused a sharp fall in ministerial confidence that now needs rebuilding.
He said Number 10 should follow the lead of agenda-focused ministers such as Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in driving bold change in housing, energy, and the justice system.
Mr Falconer voiced concern that Labour’s top announcements were being overlooked or overshadowed.
He said,
“We had a 10-year health service plan which was splendid in every single respect … but it sort of plopped into an ocean and I don’t believe it has made any impact whatsoever on the public consciousness or on what people think about us in relation to the health service.”
Labour peer stated,
“I think we are a quite energetic government, [but] we are characterised as a tired bunch of same-again politicians, and that is not right.”
According to him, the growth of Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK signalled voters’ desire for a political movement with a clear strategy.
He said,
“It makes it all the more important that Labour has a tangible, identifiable political personality. People don’t vote for Diet Coke. They vote for the real thing.”
Mr Falconer made clear that he was not calling for the party to move further to the right or left, adding,
“Was Tony Blair left or right? He was energetically progressive. He was a government that had agency, and at the moment we are too easily characterised as a government without agency.”
He labelled the employment rights bill a “terrific piece of legislation, very bold,” as well as the renters’ rights bill, planning reforms, and assisted dying.
He said,
“This is a reforming and progressive government, there’s a hell of a lot going on, and yet our popularity ratings are falling through the floor.”
The ex-justice secretary, who played a key role in Mr Starmer’s leadership campaign and early cabinet selections, said the prime minister’s nature made delivering such bombast challenging.
Mr Falconer stated,
“There is absolutely no sense of a confident morning. Part of it is because – this is a good thing – the prime minister’s personality is an unflashy personality. He thinks the right thing to do is not to spend your time telling people what you’re doing, it’s putting your head down and doing it. But there is more to leading the country than delivery. There is also the sense you give the country of what’s happening.”
He argued that neither MPs nor the wider party should conclude that replacing the leader was necessary.
Mr Falconer said,
“I do think he’s the right person, indeed. The moment that conversation starts [about leadership change], everybody immediately goes back to Keir and recognises that he’s the best leader for us.”
He stated that the initial cuts to the winter fuel allowance had cast a long shadow, adding,
“The winter fuel thing so quickly made the public think we were no better or no different.”
He argued that the government had failed to capitalise on its successes, and was letting events and media criticism set the narrative.
Mr Falconer stated,
“The atmosphere in the country is so different when the government is confident.”
What did Falconer say about Miliband, Rayner and Mahmood?
Charlie Falconer said ministers such as Ed Miliband were right to pursue their priorities with determination. He described their resolve as a strength.
He stated,
“Ed Miliband strongly believes in what he’s going to do, there’s lots of people who criticise it, but he’s getting on with it, and that gives that whole area of policy a sense of energetic drive,”
Adding Angela Rayner
“introduced the workers’ rights, she’s doing the housing stuff, and again … She’s proud of them.”
He remarked that Shabana Mahmood’s handling of the justice department was particularly notable, given the scale of reforms underway.
Mr Falconer added,
“Shabana has been an absolutely brilliant, reforming lord chancellor in enormously difficult circumstances. She is somebody whose sense of confidence about what she’s doing is something the whole government should emulate.”
He warned that ministers risked appearing too tied to the demands of financial markets, despite the need to demonstrate fiscal discipline.
The ex-justice secretary said,
“The ability to cope and not be knocked off course is the key thing for the economy. Eventually a paralysis will set in if ultimately the country thinks the bond market is determining the whole of our policy.”
Referring to his own ministerial career, Mr Falconer said he had witnessed how a rapid drop in opinion could damage morale in government.
He added,
“Your political confidence does tend to go if everything you do is simply parlayed into ‘another fuck-up by the government. Then you begin to say: ‘Well, let’s not talk about anything.’ Ultimately, that never works.”
Keir Starmer’s stance on Israel’s plan for Gaza
The Labour leader urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop plans to take control of Gaza City, warning it would only intensify the violence.
He said,
“Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution.”
Mr Starmer added,
“Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction.”