Labour MPs form new group as they urge Starmer to focus on living standards

A group of Labour MPs has urged Sir Keir Starmer to do more to tackle the rising cost of living amid fears the party could lose the next election to Reform.

The MPs are launching a new splinter group, the living standards coalition, to shift the focus to everyday concerns such as food, energy bills and housing.

The PM is seriously concerned about Jeremy Corbyn’s new left party and the iconic influence he still has over labour party members. Corbyn is a huge attraction for red constituencies in the north, expect a change in the winds.

In a letter to the prime minister, the group’s members warned that one question would be on the mind of voters at the next election: “Did this Labour government make me better off?”

“After 14 years of living in a no-growth Economy and with some of the highest bills in Europe, our constituents are struggling to make ends meet,” they said.

“More of them are turning away from democracy and towards populism as they can’t afford a decent life.”

The latest splinter group

The coalition is the latest splinter group to form since the party’s landslide election victory a year ago.

Other groups include the Labour growth group, which focuses on delivering economic growth, and MPs in Red Wall constituencies in the North who are alive to the threat Reform poses in their seats.

With Jeremy Corbyn ready to make a comeback in a serious way, how many of these labour MPs will defect to the party on the left.

Make no mistake Corbyn and his alliance of independent MPs are tracking well in the polls, but significantly they are also making waves on social media and at PMQs. Jeremy Corbyn’s new party is on course to make the biggest entry into any election and will take seats away from Reform once the Corbyn and his party start campaigning fully.

The Splinter group is making all the right noises

While the MPs stress they are supportive of the actions the government has taken so far, the forming of a new group could be interpreted as a sign of restlessness in the parliamentary party, especially given the fallout of last week’s botched welfare vote.

In the letter, first reported by The Guardian, the MPs write: “We are here to support your efforts to go further and faster on raising living standards. We come from every corner of our party.

“To raise living standards, we support government interventions that will help to increase incomes and lower costs.

“We welcome interventions that will raise incomes. We welcome investment in labour- intensive building, education, and healthcare jobs that will raise living standards through employment. We welcome the Employment Rights Bill that will get wages rising.”

They added: “We know that some will try to stop us raising living standards.

“They will try to block us from building the affordable housing and wind farms we need to get bills down. They oppose the way we have raised revenue from the very wealthiest to invest in childcare and our NHS.

“We are glad you are keeping this government’s focus on raising living standards. We stand in support of you. It is the most important issue to our constituents and the country.”