Sadiq Khan sends searing betrayal warning to Keir Starmer after by - election loss

mirror.co.uk · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Sir Sadiq Khan said trying to 'compete with Reform on the right' is a 'betrayal' of Labour values and demanded Keir Starmer 'fundamentally rethink' the party’s approach11:47, 01 Mar 2026Updated 12:50, 01 Mar 2026Sadiq Khan has told Keir Starmer he is taking “liberal, progressive voters” for granted in a searing intervention after Labour’s defeat at the Gorton and Denton by-election.‌The London Mayor said trying to “compete with Reform on the right” is a “betrayal” of Labour values and demanded Mr Starmer "fundamentally rethink” the party’s approach.‌And he warned the PM against branding the Green Party “extreme” as he said it will “only turn more people away” from Labour. Mr Starmer suffered a major upset in last week’s by-election, when Green candidate Hannah Spencer stormed to victory in the traditionally Labour stronghold seat in Greater Manchester.‌Sir Sadiq said he does not want a change of leadership from Mr Starmer as it would create “political instability at the top of government”, but he admitted “there does need to be real change and a vision that provides hope for the future, not doom and gloom”.‌Writing in the Guardian, the Labour mayor said: “A political strategy of taking liberal, progressive voters for granted is clearly flawed. The national Labour party and government doesn’t just need to reflect on this result, but fundamentally rethink its approach. Many people who voted Labour in July 2024 are now angry and frustrated.”He praised Labour’s “extraordinary” work on free breakfast clubs, workers' rights and scrapping the two-child benefit limit, but he warned too often this was “overshadowed by missteps and political positioning” on issues like Brexit, migration and Gaza.Sir Sadiq referenced how he has called out Donald Trump “for the racist, sexist and Islamophobic things he has said and done”, been honest about the damage of Brexit and spoken out against the “horrific killing” of Palestinians.‌He continued: “Staying quiet on these issues and trying to compete with Reform on the right of politics not only feels inauthentic, at a time when authenticity is more prized in politics than ever, but a betrayal of what Labour is supposed to represent. We must address the concerns and fears of voters, not play on them.”It comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to double down on her under-fire asylum plans in a speech next week. The Cabinet minister has been urged to back down from proposals to at least double the period when migrant workers are eligible to settle in the UK.‌Under the shake-up, hundreds of thousands of people who thought they would qualify for permanent residence after being in the UK for five years will have to wait 10. In her speech, Ms Mahmood is expected to reject the Green Party’s “open borders” policy and the “nightmare” offered by Nigel Farage.Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell admitted Ms Mahmood's immigration proposals “are a real concern to our ethnic minority communities”, as is “the rhetoric we’ve used around some of these issues”. She told The Observer: "This came up a lot in the byelection. Most people recognise the need to control borders and tackle illegal immigration, but given the contribution and other requirements for legal migration our tough stance here is less understood.”On Friday, after Labour’s by-election loss, Andrea Egan, Unison’s general secretary, said the Government “should be standing up for workers, defending migrants and refugees, and taking the fight to Nigel Farage rather than letting him set the agenda”. And veteran MP Diane Abbott told the Guardian that Labour should “turn to more progressive policies on issues such as immigration and asylum”.Article continues belowDefence Secretary John Healey on Sunday admitted voters are “frustrated at the pace of change”. But he added: “I would say that there is a risk of over interpreting a one-off by-election result like this. I remember watching the Conservatives lose 20 out of 21 by elections after 2010 and then go on to win the 2015 general election.“We have to read the results right. We have to redouble our efforts to deliver the sort of change people voted for less than 18 months ago. And remember also, as far as the government goes, we've got three years to restore that confidence that we're there doing a decent job to make the changes that they want to see.”