Ahead of a crucial year for the party the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney told the Cabinet Labour might be suffering a dip in the polls, but that a comeback was possible
07:00, 10 Jan 2026Updated 09:58, 10 Jan 2026
As Keir Starmer held his first cabinet of 2026, ministers started the year with a message of hope.
The PM began by pointing towards what the Government had achieved so far, energy bills relief, the first rail fare freeze in 30 years and an increase to the National Living Wage. The PM urged his top team to go further, warning the cost of living was the “single most important and biggest issue” for voters and their families.
Ahead of a crucial year for the party, with local elections, as well as votes in Scotland and Wales, the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney also delivered a rallying call, saying Labour might be suffering a dip in the polls, but that there were numerous examples of political comebacks in similar situations.
The Labour supremo pointed towards the success of centre-left parties in Norway, Australia and Canada, suggesting their success could be a blueprint for Britain. He said: “History — and the experience of our sister parties — is clear on the route back. Governments almost always dip before they recover. Not because the country rejects them, but because repair comes before renewal. We have seen this again and again.
“In Australia, Labor was written off mid-term — brutal polling, hostile press, real internal anxiety. They stopped chasing noise, focused relentlessly on the cost of living, delivered, and held their nerve. They recovered — and they won again.”
This focus was well underway this week with the PM embarking on what's being described as a "cost of living tour", meeting families to talk about the pressures they are facing. On Monday he was in Reading to meet commuters, and on Thursday he was in Bedfordshire to discuss poverty.
This strategy was informed by the approach of the Australian Labor Party, described by one Labour source as “kitchen table economics”, where the ALP would focus on issues that families might talk about over dinner. They pointed to issues such as support for childcare, which has been mirrored in the UK, as well as concerns over the cost of travel. With Labour having announced a rail freeze, the parties clearly have crossover in their approach.
Another lesson from Australia is expected to be “robustness”, with the Government taking a much stronger stance against its political opponents. This robust campaigning is likely to see digital attacks ramp up, with more expected accusing Nigel Farage of being weak on Ukraine.
A Labour source, said: “They had a ruthless focus on those kitchen table economic issues, but they are also robust, they are willing to have the scrap, they enjoy the cut and thrust of politics. It is like the way they play sport, they always shake hands at the end."
Other Labour sources also pointed to the Government in Norway recovering from very low polling numbers. They said: “Central to their campaign was cutting energy bills, which we’re doing here with an average of £150 for people across Britain. That helped to relegate the far-right opposition to second.”
The lesson from Canada is less clear, where the Liberals were dead and buried, until a change in leader and the US president's threats turned the tables. While this can’t be replicated in Britain, one lesson could be the collapse of the left-wing New Democrats, as people voted tactically to stop the Conservatives.
The Greens in the UK are enjoying a similar surge in the polls, and Labour could seek to squeeze these votes with the threat of Reform.
One Labour MP said: “We have to get bills down, across energy, shopping and insurance. We can win voters back by funding public services properly, and taxing the people that need to be taxed more.” Another praised the new focus, but claimed they were pushing for it 18 months ago.
A Labour source added: “Our focus remains on tackling the cost of living for families in Britain. It will take time, and we know people are frustrated. The politics of easy answers offered by Nigel Farage, the Tories and the Greens won’t put food on the table for families.”