Imagine a grand hall in London, filled with five influential, election-winning, center-left leaders from across the globe. Normally, such a gathering would signal a powerful display of liberal political strength.
However, this Friday’s assembly, featuring leaders like Canada’s Mark Carney, Australia’s Anthony Albanese, and Britain’s Keir Starmer, tells a different story. They meet at a critical juncture where progressive politics appears to be facing unprecedented threats.
Indeed, a combination of shifting voter allegiances, sluggish economies, and the fiercely divisive immigration debate has left center-left governments vulnerable to the surging tide of right-wing populism. Across the Atlantic, the Democratic Party in the U.S. finds itself struggling to articulate a compelling narrative against the backdrop of President Trump’s continued influence.
During his address at the Global Progress Action Summit, Mr. Starmer passionately championed progressive politics. His speech came as he faces a significant challenge from Nigel Farage, whose anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K., currently boasts a near double-digit lead over Starmer’s Labour Party in recent polls.
Acknowledging growing public concerns about immigration, the Prime Minister tempered his message by unveiling a compulsory digital ID plan. Supporters of this initiative believe it could be a key tool in deterring undocumented migrant workers.
“This is the defining political choice of our times,” Mr. Starmer declared. He characterized the populist right as offering “a politics of predatory grievance, preying on the problems of working people and using the infrastructure of division.” Instead, he urged the country to embrace “the politics of patriotic renewal. Rooted in communities, building a better country.”
The summit convenes “as citizens across the world are increasingly rejecting mainstream politics,” noted Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research. This left-leaning British think tank organized the event in collaboration with Labour Together and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Mr. Starmer, fresh from hosting Mr. Trump last week, will also have the opportunity to hear from the former president’s American political adversaries. These include Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, and Pete Buttigieg, who served as Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration.
For the Democrats in attendance, this gathering may serve as a crucial opportunity to begin developing a political strategy for a potential post-Trump era. Discussions are expected to cover a progressive response to the tariffs previously imposed by Mr. Trump.
“The focus is on meeting voters where they are, which is the cost of living and inflation,” emphasized Fred Hochberg, who directed the Export-Import Bank of the United States under President Barack Obama. “That’s where progressives need to focus.”
For Mr. Starmer, who took office just 14 months prior, the timing of this summit is particularly critical, coinciding with a period of intense political vulnerability. Despite some international achievements, a series of missteps and recent high-profile resignations have cast a shadow of doubt over his leadership, just as the Labour Party prepares for its annual conference on Sunday.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester and a potential rival to Mr. Starmer, publicly diverged from the party line this week. In two interviews, he presented a more leftist vision for Labour. While Mr. Burnham is not expected to challenge the prime minister for leadership soon—he would first need a parliamentary seat—the attention he garnered highlights Mr. Starmer’s precarious position.
Adding to the party’s internal challenges, Labour members must also elect a new deputy leader. This follows the resignation of Angela Rayner, who also served as deputy prime minister, amidst a tax controversy. The deputy leadership contest has effectively become a referendum on Mr. Starmer’s leadership, with critics deliberating whether to vote against his favored candidate.
Some analysts suggest that the Labour Party was ill-prepared for the responsibilities of power after last year’s election. They believe the party was lulled into a false sense of security by the disarray of their Conservative predecessors, who saw five prime ministers in seven years.
“The Labour Party made the mistake of thinking, ‘If we simply govern competently that’s a huge bonus for the country and the country will be pleased,’” observed John McTernan, a political strategist and former aide to Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. He argued that stable government is merely the minimum expectation of voters.
With inflation still untamed and little tangible improvement in public services like healthcare, voters express frustration over the slow pace of change. Others contend that Mr. Starmer’s technocratic approach and less-than-charismatic communication style have left many voters uncertain about the government’s direction.
Claire Ainsley, a former policy director for Mr. Starmer, noted the formidable economic hurdles facing the government, including a sluggish economy, chronic underinvestment in public services, and high national debt. She emphasized that Mr. Starmer’s crucial task now is to define a clearer political direction.
Furthermore, center-left parties must more effectively highlight the detrimental impacts of populist policies, according to Neera Tanden, chief executive of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and a former Biden administration official.
“In our country the divisive rhetoric, the nationalist rhetoric, can be very appealing,” Ms. Tanden acknowledged. However, she warned, “The Trump administration’s policies are harming working class people disproportionately — it’s their health care that’s being lost, their utility prices that are going up. I think it’s a warning sign to the world.”