A senior Labour MP has delivered a withering assessment of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first year in office, saying "things just don't seem to be working" and signalling she is considering a run for the party's deputy leadership amid an intensifying internal contest.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee and a former shadow minister, made the comments on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg after a frantic weekend of ministerial reshuffling following Angela Rayner's resignation as deputy prime minister and housing secretary. Rayner also quit as Labour's deputy leader on Friday after admitting she had not paid sufficient tax on the purchase of her new flat.
Thornberry described Starmer's year in government as a "mixed picture," praising the administration's restored international standing while saying its domestic performance was falling short. "We're doing so well internationally and our standing is so much higher; we're back on the international scene," she said. "But domestically things just don't seem to be working. There are things we're doing which are fantastic, but nobody seems to know about it."
She highlighted policies she said were delivering — higher wage growth, housebuilding and investment in green energy — but warned that public attention had focused on mistakes. Thornberry added that Labour could not afford repeated errors given the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, saying polls have moved against the party since it secured a large parliamentary majority. "We've gone from having a fantastic gift from the British public of a huge majority to now being at 20 per cent in the polls," she said.
Thornberry said she was "thinking about" standing for the deputy leadership, adding that any bid would be judged on what she could bring to the role. "What's important is what you bring; do you have the strengths, do you have the experience, can you actually make a difference," she said.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a long-standing rival of Starmer who is frequently mentioned as a potential future national leader, urged a "reset" of what he called a "London-centric" administration. Burnham told the BBC he wanted to see a deputy from his region to counter perceived centralisation and suggested Louise Haigh and Lucy Powell as possible candidates. Haigh quit as transport secretary in November amid a separate controversy; Powell was sacked as Commons leader by Starmer on Friday as part of the weekend reshuffle.
"I think that's what it needs, you know, we need to hear the voice of the party, the voice of the members, and then the voice of our communities behind that, particularly in the north of England, to counter that London centricity," Burnham said. He described the current moment as one to "take a bit of stock, reset, and then as one Labour team, come back stronger."
The developments come after Starmer moved quickly to reconfigure his ministerial team following Rayner's high-profile departure. Allies and critics within Labour have taken the opportunity to reassess the party's direction and messaging less than a year into the government's term.
Labour figures have warned privately and publicly that mistakes risk opening space for Reform UK and other challengers. Thornberry told the BBC Labour must "listen and learn from the public" and said the answers to political problems could be found by engaging more closely with voters.
As the party prepares for an internal contest to replace Rayner as deputy leader, attention will fall on how Starmer manages the succession, whether the government can steady its domestic narrative, and how rival figures such as Burnham navigate the contest. The outcome could shape Labour's strategy ahead of the next general election and influence efforts to shore up support outside London.
Starmer's office and Labour headquarters did not immediately comment on Thornberry's remarks or on any potential deputy leadership bids. The unfolding contest and calls for a "reset" underline continuing tensions inside Labour as it seeks to translate international praise and policy initiatives into sustained domestic political support.