The local election results have “sent convulsions” through the Labour Party, Business Secretary Peter Kyle has said.
Asked if the Prime Minister is going to resign today, Kyle said on GB News: “No. What you’ll see today is a speech that acknowledges the scale of what the electorate were telling us last week.
“The results that we saw last week have sent convulsions through the Labour Party, and you’ve seen the results of that, whether you’re a member of the Labour Party, whether you’re a candidate that put their heart and soul into the elections last week, you want a very big, bold response from it.
“Now we believe that that big, bold response is one that delivers the change that people need, that change must come from within government, but be big and bold and meet the moment. The moment that the public are telling us about is that they want bold solutions to the very big challenges that our country faces, and that is what Keir Starmer will be setting out today.”
Kyle said he will travel to Brussels tomorrow as part of the government’s plan to develop closer relations with the EU: “We do need more than a speech. We need action as well. So the speech will fire the starting gun on a series of very big, bold actions.
“On Wednesday, this week, we’re going to see the King’s Speech. We’ll set out the new legislative framework, the agenda that puts the meat on the bones of the big, bold actions that Keir Starmer will be setting out today. There will be a series of other announcements this week.
“I myself, for example, am going to be going to Brussels tomorrow, because the Prime Minister will be signalling a closer relationship, a more constructive relationship, but crucially, a relationship that delivers more opportunities for young people and people working throughout the economy, and people who need more growth into our economy, particularly at times of challenge which is being posed by the Iran war.”
Asked if Wes Streeting would make a good PM, Kyle said: “I think that our party is full of talent, and that is what you’re seeing recognised in those headlines. Wes has done a fantastic job on the NHS. Rachel has done a great job in fixing the foundations of our economy.
“I like to think that I’m straining it a bit to make sure we can get a business set of policies that is unleashing the potential of British business. We are a government which is trying and has done a huge amount since we came into office, but we recognise that all of us have now got to turn up the dial.
“We’ve got to double down on the focus. We’ve got to make sure that the challenges that we faced when we came into office, and yes, we did succumb to too much doom and gloom, that we can turn a corner on that, put it behind us and show all of the positives that we are capable of delivering as a government, so that people can feel the hope and optimism into the future that we in Britain should expect from our government.”