Keir Starmer has no problem looking as MPs return to Parliament on Monday after their summer recess.
The prime minister faces a series of challenges on many different fronts this autumn as he attempts to arrest the dramatic slide in the government’s and his own popularity.
A Yegov poll earlier this week put the Labour Party at just 20%, its lowest point since 2019, while Starmer’s approval ratings are at minus 41.
And while the Prime Minister’s supporters say the next election is only needed until 2029, there are growing murmurs among Labour MPs that he may not survive No.
Here, Huffpost UK looks at five key challenges facing Starmer as he prepares for what could be his prime ministerial debut in a matter of weeks.
1) immigration
The number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats and the protests outside the hotels that line it have been the story of the summer, and the government has been on the back foot throughout.
While Nigel Farage has made fanciful promises to deport 600,000 illegal immigrants and renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement, Labour has barely been on the field.
One of the main problems Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has is that voters simply don’t believe his Get low news on x pledge to stop and arrest every immigrant who enters Britain illegally.
Partial changes, such as removing judges from the asylum appeals process to remove immigrants from the country more quickly, may bear fruit in the long run, but are not enough to satisfy voters who want results now.
Labour MPs, especially those in the red wall, know that their seats are on the line at the next election unless the government confronts this issue, and soon.
2) Rearrange
Starmer is expected to shake up his frontbench team once parliament returns on Monday.
While most of the changes will involve those most junior in the ranks, some cabinet members could also find themselves moving or being fired as the prime minister tries to assert his authority and refresh his failing government.
But history shows us that repeaters are rarely easy and can often create more problems than they solve, also because they can create an unhappy back bank of people who are either laid off or transferred.
Huffpost UK also revealed on Thursday that there is widespread speculation in Whitehall that the Prime Minister could make a number of changes to his Downing Street staff, as well as to his ministerial ranks.
Frustrated by the slow pace of change, the Prime Minister, according to a senior No. 10 source, “decided to take more direct oversight of delivery” at the top of the government.
A new delivery unit has been set up in Downing Street and will be led by Nin Pandit, who is being moved from her role as Starmer’s principal private secretary.
The Prime Minister is also appointing a new economic adviser to No. 10, and other changes are believed to be under discussion.
It remains to be seen whether the changes give the government a much-needed boot at the top or are akin to changing deck chairs on the Titanic.
3) Donald Trump’s state visit
Starmers tik tikko varēja saturēt savu satraukumu pagājušā gada februārī, kad viņš pasniedza ASV prezidentam karaļa Čārlza vēstuli, kurā viņu uzaicināja uz Lielbritāniju uz vēl nebijušu otro valsts vizīti.
Sēžot Ovālajā birojā, premjerministrs staroja, kad Trump skaļi nolasīja piezīmi un ar nepacietību pieņēma godu.
Neskatoties uz acīmredzamajām politiskajām atšķirībām, premjerministra premjerministram ir pilnīgi jēga vēlēties pēc iespējas tuvāk attiecībām ar brīvās pasaules vadītāju, un šķiet, ka pāris ir izveidojis personīgu atbildību.
Neskatoties uz to, tāds ir Trumpa neparedzams raksturs, nākamā mēneša vizītē ir neveiksmes potenciāls.
Premjerministrs cerēs beidzot sasaistīt vaļīgos galus ASV un UK tirdzniecības darījumam ar solījumu par nulles tarifiem Lielbritānijas tērauda eksportam uz Ameriku, vēl jāizpilda.
Tiks apspriesti Trumpa tik ļoti veiksmīgie mēģinājumi izbeigt karu Ukrainā, tāpat kā Vils Izraēlas turpmākā Gazas bombardēšana.
Gaidāmi arī plaši izplatīti anti-Trump protesti, lai gan Starmers tiks atvieglots, ka vizīte sakrīt ar partiju konferences sezonu liedz prezidentam uzrunāt parlamentu.
4) Darba konference
Leiboristu klans atkal pulcēsies Liverpūlē septembra beigās uz Starmera otro konferenci kā premjerministrs.
Leiboristi cīnoties aptaujās – un nākamā maija vietējā padomē, Skotijas un Velsas vēlēšanām pie horizonta tumšs mākonis – spiediens ir premjerministrs, lai apvienotu karaspēku.
Starmera galvenā runa radīs optimistisku toni, sakot savam karaspēkam, ka grūtie (daži varētu teikt postošus) lēmumus, ko viņa valdība ir pieņēmusi līdz šim, galu galā nesīs augļus nākamajām vispārējām vēlēšanām.
Bet skaidras un pašreizējās briesmas, ko rada Nigela Farage un Reformu Lielbritānijas pieaugums līdztekus Džeremija Korbina jaunās partijas iespējamajiem draudiem, aizņems klātesošo domas.
Aktīvisti arī izmantos iespēju izdarīt spiedienu uz leiboristu vadību, lai nodotu divu bērnu pabalstu vāciņu un izvēlētos muskuļotāku pieeju Izraēlai, jo humānā krīze Gazā ar katru dienu pasliktinās.
Starmera izaicinājums būs izmantot konferenci kā pozitīvu tramplīnu, lai uzņemtu daudzos izaicinājumus, ar kuriem viņš saskaras nākamajā gadā. Bet to ir vieglāk pateikt, nekā izdarīt.
5) budžets
Pagājušā gada budžets tika iesniegts kā parlamenta definējošs pasākums, kas noteica politiskos laika apstākļus nākamajiem pieciem gadiem. Šī gada – kuru HuffPost UK saprot, ka 26. novembrī ir ieslodzīts – ir paredzēts, ka tas ir ne mazāk nozīmīgs.
Kanclere Reičela Rīve pagājušajā reizē paaugstināja nodokļus par 40 miljardiem sterliņu mārciņu, jo viņa centās aizpildīt pasakaino “melno caurumu”, kuru, pēc leiboristi apgalvoja, bija atstājuši torijas.
Despite the wild claim that it won’t happen again, Downing Street is assuming that taxes will have to go up again as Reeves faces something up to £50 billion in her spending plans.
No. 10 insiders have repeatedly insisted that Labour will not back down from the previous election, lest it scrap VAT, income tax or national insurance for workers – a decision Reeves must now regret, given how much it limits her room for manoeuvre.
Government insiders acknowledge that the country’s economic problems stem from the inability to work so far to make a good commitment to increasing economic growth.
And while they claim that Britain’s productivity problem is the result of 14 years of Conservative cuts, voters are unlikely to cut them if it means putting money in their pockets.
The next couple of months are set to be as challenging for Starmer as any he is likely to face as prime minister. Bang on, everyone.
