Sir Sadiq Khan has delivered a brutally honest assessment of Labour’s performance in government, admitting “it hasn’t been a great first year” and warning supporters they would be “delusional” not to recognise the party’s struggles.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the London Mayor compared Labour to a football team that is “two-nil down” after just 15 minutes of play, as polls show Keir Starmer’s approval ratings have plummeted to their lowest ever level.
“Those people that say it has been a great first year… I think they are letting the party down,” Khan declared in remarkably candid comments that will send shockwaves through Westminster.
‘They’re Not Performing’
The Mayor, who was knighted in the 2025 New Year Honours and remains one of Labour’s most powerful figures, did not hold back in his assessment of the government’s performance since winning the July 2024 election.
“It hasn’t been a great first year,” he stated bluntly. “There have been great things that have happened in this first year, around the rights for renters, around the rights for workers, around energy security, and I could go on. But as first years go, it has not been a great first year.”
His comments come as YouGov polling shows 69% of Britons now hold an unfavourable view of Starmer – the highest negativity rating ever recorded for the Prime Minister – while just 23% view him favourably. Even more damaging for Labour, half of the party’s own voters (50%) now have an unfavourable opinion of their leader.
Lost Memory of Running Things
Khan suggested Labour had “lost the memory of running things” after more than a decade in opposition, telling the Edinburgh audience: “It has taken some time for the Labour Party, the Labour Government, to understand how the machinery of government works.
The Liverpool FC supporter used a football analogy to describe Labour’s predicament: “It is really important now we pick things up because I think we are two-nil down.” He added optimistically: “The great news is we have turned it round before; we have won games before where we’re two-nil down, we can do it again.
Despite his criticism, Khan expressed confidence in the cabinet, saying: “With Keir and the team we’ve got in Number 10, and across Whitehall, Westminster, we’ve got a great team. They are not performing to the level I know they can perform at. I’m not being critical of them, I think they themselves would admit they can do much more.”
Voters ‘Lent’ Support
The Mayor warned that voters had not enthusiastically embraced Labour but had given them “the benefit of the doubt” after 14 years of Conservative rule. They didn’t sprint toward Labour at the ballot box, they lent us their vote,” he cautioned.
Labour’s struggles are reflected across multiple polls, with the party’s net approval rating standing at -51% according to recent surveys. The government has faced criticism over welfare changes, immigration policy shifts, and economic management, with even Labour voters now divided on the government’s performance.
Khan’s admission represents one of the most senior Labour figures publicly acknowledging the scale of the party’s difficulties. The Mayor stressed Labour supporters “need to have the humility to recognise” the problems, warning that “otherwise we are being delusional.
Reform UK Gains Ground
Adding to Labour’s woes, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has seen its popularity surge, with 35% of the public now holding a positive opinion of the party – meaning it is viewed more favourably than Labour for the first time. Farage himself has seen his approval ratings improve to -27, significantly better than Starmer’s -44.
The shift has been particularly pronounced among 2024 Labour voters, with Farage’s net rating improving from -79 to -64 among this group in just one month. Meanwhile, deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (-31), Chancellor Rachel Reeves (-48), and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (-25) have all hit their worst-ever approval ratings.
Trump Comments Add to Controversy
During the same Edinburgh appearance, Khan also reignited his feud with Donald Trump, saying he would be “more than happy” to meet the US President despite warning that Trump could be “inadvertently radicalising people” and is “not a force for good.
The Mayor dismissed Trump’s previous attacks on him as “water off a duck’s back” but added it sometimes felt like being “nine years old again and in the school playground.” He noted that applications for British citizenship from Americans had reached record levels since Trump took office.
Four Years to Turn It Around
Despite the gloomy assessment, Khan remained optimistic about Labour’s prospects, noting the party has “got another four years to make sure we turn this around.” He praised the quality of people in government while acknowledging they need to raise their game significantly.
The Mayor’s intervention comes at a critical moment for Labour, with the party trailing in voting intention polls and facing mounting pressure over its handling of key issues including the economy, immigration, and public services. His willingness to speak so candidly about the government’s struggles suggests deep concern within Labour’s ranks about the party’s trajectory.
As Khan concluded: “There are some really, really good people in the cabinet, there is a good back office team as well. So I have got confidence we will turn it round.” Whether voters will give Labour the time to prove him right remains to be seen.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Sadiq Khan at Pride in London photo call (25 Jun 2016) – by Katy Blackwood, licensed under CC BY‑SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
