Where did it all go wrong for Starmer? – podcast

The UK has lost its sixth prime minister in a decade. How did Keir Starmer go from landslide victory to resigning in two years?

When the former human rights lawyer, full of ambition, won a landslide in the 2024 general election, hope was in the air. Keir Starmer had arrived on a promise to repair 14 years of Conservative damage. Just two years later, with anger and disappointment swelling across the country, he has been forcibly ejected from the job. He’s a decent man, we’re told repeatedly, but he’s the most disliked prime minister since modern polling began.

As Starmer stepped out to the lectern outside Downing Street, he certainly looked the part. Elegant grey suit, immaculately slicked side quiff, and the dignified gravitas you’d expect from a prime minister. But he could not deliver.

Did it have to be this way? Guardian columnist Rafael Behr tells Nosheen Iqbal why Starmer seemed so strong in opposition, but found it so hard to lead.