Keir Starmer is a leader under a cloud with opponents inside and outside the Labour movement in full cry.
As he arrives in Liverpool for the second party conference since Labour won a 400-plus seat victory in mid-2024, Mr Starmer cuts an unpopular figure, despite Labour's dominant political position.
An eve of conference opinion poll that looked at the fate of every parliamentary seat in a general election found that the right-wing Reform UK party is in pole position to win the next election.
The rise of Reform to the top of the polls would translate to it winning more than 300 seats in the next election. Labour would sit below 150 seats.
YouGov said the rise of multi-party politics would mean the average constituency would be won on just 34 per cent of the vote, down from 40 per cent in 2024 and 55 per cent in 2019.
“Such a defeat for Labour would be an even greater loss of seats than the Conservatives experienced at the last general election, and a sharp turnaround from a majority victory that was expected by some to carry the party through at least two terms in office,” YouGov said.
The troubles the Labour leader faces are expected to be seen on the opening day of the conference on Sunday when supporters of the banned Palestine Action group line up at the conference security fence on Liverpool's dockside. Mass arrests can be expected to mar the start of the annual gathering.
Mr Starmer led the government decision to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a co-ordinated movement by almost a dozen states last week.
The party ranks are likely to applaud that decision but it won't be enough to assuage many who want to go further including an arms sales ban to Israel.
Mr Starmer's party lost seats against the trend in the last election to pro-Gaza independents, who are now joining with ex-Labour MPs − including former leader Jeremy Corbyn − to form a new left-wing alternative to Labour.
If there was a sliver of comfort for Mr Starmer from the YouGov poll it was the prediction that Mr Corbyn's Your Party will not make a breakthrough. Neither, the poll showed, will the growing Green Party under dynamic new leader Zack Polanski. It has likely success in just three seats − down from its current four.
Mr Starmer has seized on the polling to make his case that the next election will be fought on dividing lines. “There’s a battle for the soul of this country, now, as to what sort of country do we want to be,” he told a meeting of progressive leaders on Friday, including Canada's Mark Carney and Australia's Anthony Albanese.
“We must show our politics resolutely opposed to a status quo that doesn’t deliver for working people,” he said. “The worst thing we can do is to defend the status quo, it hasn’t worked for working people.”
Mistrust is not confined to the outsiders flocking to Nigel Farage's Reform banner. The poll said 53 per cent of Labour supporters disapproved of its record in government.
To take the fight to Reform, Mr Starmer is proposing a digital ID scheme as move to ensure migrants cannot work illegally. Pressure over migrant levels rises daily. On Friday it was revealed that an extra 750,000 people were added to the UK population in 2024, the second highest jump on record.
The backlash against digital IDs is expected to be strong. Political analysts and pollsters warn that nearly all segments of the population are against the idea.
Labour is pitching this as a solution to illegal immigration, but “the iron law of polarised debates is that people will always attribute the worst motivations to any policy advanced by people they don't like”, wrote Nick Barron of lobbying firm MHP.
“The narrative will soon flip, and Labour's lapsed supporters will come to see it as another attack on ordinary people. Labour has haemorrhaged support among lower-trust voter groups and this will damage their chances of winning them back.”
Mr Starmer's badging of the idea as BritCard went down badly among Scottish and Welsh electorates, while its legal implications in Northern Ireland could be serious.
Challenger
At the conference efforts to unite Labour on a tough stand on migration is set to be overshadowed by attention on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. He has been forced to cut back his events to just three at Labour conference after publicly toying with a leadership challenge to Mr Starmer.
Leave aside that he is not an MP, Mr Burnham is still likely to garner plenty of attention and his events are expected to be standing room only.
A real race is under way for deputy leader after Mr Starmer lost his deputy Angela Rayner, who was exposed for tax failings. She and a raft of figures have left the senior team, spoiling the launch of Mr Starmer's Phase II of government.
It is the economy that troubles Labour strategists most. Having promised a change of government on a mission for economic growth it has instead faced a debt spiral. The consultancy EY said on Friday that while the UK economy was not stalled, it was stagnant.
“The UK economy continues to tread water, with GDP growth flatlining but avoiding outright contraction,” said Barret Kupelian, PwC UK chief economist on Friday.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces the conference as a diminished figure and came under further pressure after Mr Burnham took as his rallying cry the state of the economy, saying Labour policies should not be in hock to the bond markets.
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Moving%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SMG%20Studio%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Team17%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
