Analysis: brutal gift from backbenchers on Sir Keir Starmer's election anniversary

This was even after the Prime Minister had offered out major concessions to his restless MPs, however Liz Kendall’s attempt to sell these to the Labour benches appeared to rile them even more.

The Government had to almost entirely gut its bill to get it passed, and even had to change the name as it was so unrecognisable.

Then there was the sight of the Chancellor in tears during Prime Minister’s Questions, and the thought of her potentially losing her job was enough to spook the markets.

It’s certainly not the way Sir Keir wanted to mark his first year in office, one that has been characterised by missteps and turmoil - much of which has been self-inflicted.

I was standing in Downing Street on that sunny day, exactly a year ago, as Sir Keir and his wife, Lady Victoria, walked up to the famous black door cheered on by hordes of Labour supporters.

With his mammoth majority, much of which was made up of loyal Starm-troopers, it felt as if the Prime Minister was moving into No10 for the long haul.

However, it was not long until the first major misstep - the cut to the winter fuel payment - which pollster Luke Tryl has described as the “original sin” of the Labour government.

New Labour MPs were completely in the dark about this announcement, with some unsure exactly what this annual payment was.

It was designed to showcase the apparent £22bn black hole in public finances, but rapidly backfired.

The Yorkshire Post was inundated with letters from furious readers who had voted for Labour for the first time in 2024, but said they would never do it again.

Then came Rachel Reeves’ first Budget, in which she announced tax rises on businesses and farmers to ensure she did not break her self-imposed fiscal rules of not borrowing to fund day-to-day spending.

These were required as Labour had previously pledged not to raise income tax, national insurance for employees and VAT ahead of the election.

But this meant it was boxed in when it came to raising funds for the public purse.

As one Labour insider told me: “It means you have to increase taxes which affect specific groups - like farmers and pensioners.

“It looks like you’re targeting them.”

Since then, the Government has got embroiled in a huge row with its backbenchers over welfare cuts.

“The problem is we’re taking money out of people’s pockets in a cost of living crisis,” one Labour MP told me, referencing the winter fuel payment and benefit cuts before the U-turn.

This comes to the heart of Sir Keir’s issue, according to Mr Tryl, “what are they for?”

According to More In Common polling, Labour is at its best when it looks after the working class, improves public services and tackles poverty.

Yet it risks looking like it’s targeting disabled people and pensioners.

“It’s not that they haven’t done really popular things, like GB Energy, sewage, minimum wage, and renters’ and workers’ rights,” Mr Tryl said.

“Starmer has won plaudits on Ukraine and balancing US and EU relations, but it has been drowned out by the economic decisions.”

The Prime Minister also made the astonishing revelation that he had not read his speech on immigration properly, and said he regretted making a comment that the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers”.

All this adds up to the impression that Sir Keir is not cut out for No10 and is losing his authority.

On his side, is time and the continued collapse of the Conservatives. All polls suggest Reform UK is going to be Labour’s biggest challenger at the next election.

“I think progressives will be able to put up with a lot, if the risk is Nigel Farage becoming the next Prime Minister,” one source told me.

However, Sir Keir will have to offer change as opposed to just fear if he wants to stay in No10 for the long haul.