Keir Starmer must completely reset the Labour Party in order to stave off the threat of Reform UK, a leading political strategist has warned.
Sir Chris Powell, who worked for Labour as its advertising strategist, has told the Prime Minister to work out a plan to defeat the “existential threat” of populism.
Mr Powell, who is the brother of Jonathan Powell, Sir Keir’s national security adviser, said Nigel Farage and Reform pose a “new and terrifying threat”.
He told the Guardian: “Here in the UK, where is the urgently needed counter plan on a huge scale, to thwart and head off such an existential threat?
“It is simply not in place, nor does it appear to even be at the planning stage. We are at a very dangerous moment.
“We simply cannot afford to allow Reform UK to have a free run, and become established and entrenched as a credible potential government in the minds of disenchanted voters.
“The longer they go unchallenged, the more unthreatening and risk-free they will seem to voters. Just hoping that Reform UK and [Nigel] Farage implode, or that the rightwing vote will somehow fracture, is potentially suicidal for our freedom and democracy.”
Mr Starmer enters the new year grappling with an existential internal threat with divisions ever-deepening over the party leadership.
Many within the party remain deeply unhappy with its direction and Labour’s miserable performance in the polls has only served to compound the problem.
The Prime Minister wants to slash the cost of living through energy bill cuts, as well as reducing interest rates and ending the two-child cap. He has promised voters would start to see improvements in 2026.
Mr Powell said one way Labour can start to cut through is by increasing its social media presence, an avenue he says Reform UK is exploiting effectively.
He branded Labour’s engagement “small scale”, arguing the “narrative surrounding this Government has more often been about its own failings and internal conflicts than the battle it faces against a populist surge”.
Mr Powell worked for the ad agency that helped Labour towards its 1997 General Election success, and he cited some of his experiences as he sought to offer Sir Keir a guide in how to forge his own election-winning machine.
He said Labour needs “a new strategy, new policy, new presentation, new organisation… this kind of no-holds-barred thinking is needed. A fundamental reset”.
The man who helped Tony Blair said the current situation in the UK was a “textbook case of an establishment party caught in the headlights, as its populist opponent expertly fills the vacuum of voter pain and disrespect.
“Relying on containment or a rational ‘hold-your-nose’ vote is a strategy that will eventually fail. Labour needs a comprehensive action plan, now.
Mr Starmer aimed a message at Reform in his new year’s message, saying “we are getting Britain back on track.
“By staying the course, we will defeat the decline and division offered by others.”
