Starmer says he will lead Labour into next election

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that he will lead Labour into the next general election, and warned his party against wasting time on leadership rows.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, the prime minister said that he remained "utterly focused" on the cost of living, despite a turbulent week of speculation about his position as leader of the Labour Party.

His remarks come ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Budget on 26 November, which Sir Keir promises will have "Labour values right through it".

A recent YouGov poll for the Times suggested that almost half of the 2,100 Labour voters surveyed thought that Sir Keir should step down before the next election.

"Let me be really clear - every minute that's not spent talking about and dealing with the cost of living is a minute wasted," the prime minister told the Daily Mirror.

Sir Keir said that he understood the cost of living was "the single most important issue" for Britons, and emphasised that his government aimed to make people feel "better off" amid rising costs.

"I'm very conscious of the fact that people want to get on in life, they want to progress, they want more money in their pocket to do the things that matter to them," he said.

"Every minute we waste on other issues is a minute we're not bearing down on that."

Sir Keir addressed several measures which are expected in the Budget, including a freeze on prescription charges and increased free breakfast clubs for primary schools.

Reeves will outline her Budget in the House of Commons on 26 November, which will include big decisions regarding spending on public services.

Despite strong indications from the chancellor that she would raise income tax rates, government sources have said that Reeves has decided against the approach.

The sources maintain that "tough choices" will still have to be made in the Budget, and have stressed that the move is not related to questions regarding the prime minister's future in the Labour Party.

Following the chancellor's speech, the Office for Budget Responsibility will also release its assessment of the government's plans alongside its latest forecast.

Both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage are expected to set out their respective plans for managing public finances later on Tuesday.

Last week saw a flurry of competing briefs concerning Sir Keir's leadership, with allies telling journalists that he faced threats from a number of named ministers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Streeting has denied he was lining up a leadership bid, and called on those behind the briefings to be sacked.

Asked at an NHS conference in Manchester if he would fight alongside Sir Keir if there were any plots to oust him, Streeting said: "Yes."

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions last week, Sir Keir insisted that he "never authorised" attacks on his cabinet ministers, and decried such events as "unacceptable".

His press secretary later told reporters that the briefings against Streeting came from outside Number 10, but refused to say whether there would be a leak inquiry.

Some in government have also levelled blame at the prime minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, but sources have told the BBC that he was not involved "directly or indirectly".