Labour must offer more than ‘better managed decline’ on economy, MPs urge

An influential group of MPs has said that Labour needs an urgent renewal of economic strategy to offer voters “more than better management of decline” before the next general election. With Keir Starmer fighting to ward off a leadership challenge , the leading backbenchers from the soft-left Tribune group published a series of essays calling for bolder action to salvage its remaining time in power. In a foreword by the former cabinet minister Louise Haigh, and Yuan Yang, a prominent figure from Labour’s 2024 intake, the MPs issued a thinly disguised attack on Starmer amid pressure on him to set out a timeline for his departure. “We do not present this as the final word. They are an invitation – to challenge assumptions, test ideas, and help build a broader coalition for economic renewal. Because the economic status quo is no longer defensible,” the MPs wrote. “And if politics is to regain trust, it must offer more than better management of decline.” Calling for higher taxes on wealth, action on the cost of living crisis, and more borrowing to fund investment – including a redrawing of the government’s fiscal rules – the group said the essays were intended as “idea generation” rather than a manifesto for a Starmer replacement. …