I hope Sir Keir Starmer will leave Downing Street with his head held justifiably high. He achieved so much in such little time, but ultimately, the results were not being felt strongly and quickly enough for a country that had become understandably impatient for change.

The truth is, turning around the fortunes of a country takes many years. Much has been achieved in the last 2 years which we should be hugely proud of, and the Prime Minister is due a huge amount of credit. Of course, there are things we haven't got right, and I will not shy away from that fact (though let's be honest here – this Government committed far fewer U-turns than Johnson, Truss or Sunak).

The achievements of the last two years are massive: record falls in waiting lists; the second-highest growth in the G7 since the 2024 election; half a million children to be lifted out of poverty; the biggest expansion of employment rights; significant changes to renters' rights and wider reform of the rental market ... the greatest in a generation. The nationalisation of the railways. Immigration down 80% from its peak. These are not small accomplishments.

You would be forgiven for hearing some of these achievements for the first time. Unfortunately, we failed to communicate them effectively, and in this era of populism, delivery alone is not enough.

When Keir first became leader of the Labour Party, our party was on the brink: facing our worst election result in over eighty years and seemingly condemned to a decade in opposition. Yet he rebuilt the party, brick by brick, into a credible, election-winning machine.

For Keir, however, it was never just about Labour; it was always about the country. Country first, party second. As Leader of the Opposition, he upheld the national interest with consistency and seriousness. He challenged Johnson's conduct during Covid when necessary, but when unity was required, on Ukraine, or in the early days of the pandemic, he put aside party politics and offered our party's support and unity

The 2024 election result crowned years of hard work and sacrifice. A 174-seat majority was seismic, ending fourteen years of Conservative chaos, mismanagement, austerity, and incompetence. Only Attlee and Blair had before delivered triple-figure majorities for Labour.

Over the past two years, Keir's government has delivered a wide range of achievements. On the economy, Britain became the second-fastest-growing in the G7, and the fastest in the first quarter of this year. Interest rates were falling, and inflation was on track to hit 2%. Wage stagnation, which had persisted for over a decade, was reversed, with wages consistently rising faster than inflation.

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These gains came before the global shock triggered by President Trump's actions in Iran, which drove up oil prices and disrupted the global economy, effects we are still working through. Keir was right to stand firm in the face of Trump's demands and those of opposition like Farage and Badenoch who wished to launch us fully into a war which was not ours. By contrast, he stood firm and did the right thing. He kept us out...as Wilson kept the UK out of Viet Nam.

On public services, waiting lists fell by over 300,000 in a year, the largest drop in sixteen years, and cancer death rates reached record lows. Net migration also fell by 80% from its peak under the last Government

Domestically, these achievements were significant and crucial, but we also had much work to do on rebuilding the UK's presence on the international stage. Keir really stood tall on the world stage: leading support for Ukraine, rebuilding relations with Europe, recognising the state of Palestine, and managing an often-unpredictable US administration.

Here in Warwick and Leamington, his trade deal with the US, cutting tariffs on the auto industry, provided a vital lifeline, safeguarding thousands of local jobs.

I will not pretend there were no mistakes and things we could have done far better, or moved faster on. Nor do I deny that many constituents have yet to feel the full benefits of the change they voted for and we are striving to deliver. We needed to be bolder, more radical, to truly address the economic malaise that has gripped the UK since 2008.

But we should not, and cannot, deny that Sir Keir Starmer was a serious and competent Prime Minister. He led us through global headwinds not seen for a generation and laid a solid foundation for our country and Labour to build upon.

The responsibility now lies with Andy Burnham and the Labour Party to deliver the bolder, more transformative change our country is crying out for, and do justice to the efforts of Keir, a really decent human being and diligent public servant. He has made enormous sacrifices in recent years to serve, and I, for one, am grateful.

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached at [email protected] or on 01926 882006.

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