Keir Starmer should set up Labour leaders’ forum, says Scottish party boss

Anas Sarwar says lots to ‘learn’ from winning Welsh leader and Labour mayors

Sir Keir Starmer (PA)

Sir Keir Starmer should set up a forum for Labour leaders across the UK to give the party a better chance of winning power, the Scottish Labour leader has said.

Anas Sarwar suggested a new group be created, meeting four times a year and bringing together senior party figures from all over the country.

The Labour Leaders’ Forum, if established, would include UK chief Sir Keir, Mr Sarwar and Welsh Labour boss Mark Drakeford, as well as each of their deputy leaders.

It would also include Labour’s regional mayors – such as Sadiq Khan in London and Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester – so national leaders can “learn” from their success.

Mr Sarwar claimed setting up such a group would show Labour’s commitment to “rejecting divisive nationalism and Tory ideology that wants to pull communities apart”.

Writing to each of the key figures, he stressed Labour’s belief in “solidarity between every community in the UK,” adding: “People in Sheffield have the same aspirations for their families as those in Glasgow, Swansea or London.”

The Scottish leader, who failed to increase Labour’s seat share at the recent Holyrood election, added: “By coming together we can learn from Mark Drakeford on how Welsh Labour delivered that sensational result to keep us in power in Cardiff Bay.

“We can learn from Andy Burnham’s bid to end rough sleeping on the streets of Manchester. We can learn from Sadiq Khan on how to bring our diverse communities together.”

Sir Keir said he would listen to Tony Blair’s advice – that Labour needs “total deconstruction and reconstruction” to win power again – during Tuesday night’s Life Stories interview on ITV.

The Labour leader also revealed he would soon tour the country to meet former Labour voters who have drifted away from the party.

Keir Starmer with Scottish leader Anas Sarwar (PA)

Sir Keir told host Piers Morgan: “I’m going to go and talk across the country this summer to people who are no longer voting Labour and hear for myself what they have to do and show that reconnection.”

Several Labour MPs and commentators praised Sir Keir after the airing of the interview, in which he opened up about his mother’s illness from Still’s disease and his difficult relationship with his father.

“My experience knowing and working with him came across well, he’s thoroughly decent and determined,” said Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips.

Two polls carried out after Dominic Cummings’ devastating testimony on the government’s Covid crisis response point to a slight swing from the Tories to Labour.

But both the YouGov and Opinium surveys showed Boris Johnson’s party maintaining a commanding lead. YouGov puts the Tories 14 points ahead.