Normally, the sight of five successful center-left political leaders from across the globe convening in London’s grand halls would signify an undeniable display of liberal political strength. However, these aren’t normal times. Leaders like Canada’s Mark Carney, Australia’s Anthony Albanese, and Britain’s Keir Starmer are gathering this Friday precisely because their progressive vision feels increasingly under siege.
With voters proving unpredictable, economies struggling, and the discourse around immigration growing sharply divisive, center-left governments find themselves highly susceptible to the allure of right-wing populism. Across the Atlantic, the Democratic Party in the United States currently struggles to articulate a compelling narrative to effectively challenge President Trump’s influence.
At the Global Progress Action Summit, Prime Minister Starmer is poised to deliver a fervent defense of progressive politics, particularly as his own Labour Party faces a formidable threat from Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform U.K., which currently enjoys a significant lead in opinion polls. Acknowledging the growing public concern over immigration, Starmer is also anticipated to propose a mandatory digital ID system, a measure his supporters believe will help curb illegal migration.
According to leaked excerpts, Starmer is expected to declare, “This is the defining political choice of our times.” He plans to contrast the right’s “politics of predatory grievance, preying on the problems of working people,” with a vision of “patriotic renewal, rooted in communities, building a better country.”
Organized by the Washington-based Center for American Progress Action Fund and hosted by British think tanks like the Institute for Public Policy Research and Labour Together, this summit takes place against a backdrop where “citizens across the world are increasingly rejecting mainstream politics,” as noted by I.P.P.R. Executive Director Harry Quilter-Pinner.
Having recently hosted Mr. Trump, Starmer will also have the opportunity to engage with prominent American Democratic figures, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and former Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, both staunch opponents of the former president. For the attending Democrats, this gathering offers a crucial platform to refine a political strategy for a potential post-Trump landscape, including crafting a progressive counter-narrative to his tariff policies. Fred Hochberg, who served as head of the Export-Import Bank under President Barack Obama, emphasized the need for progressives to “focus on meeting voters where they are, which is the cost of living and inflation.”
Just 14 months after his impressive ascent to power, Prime Minister Starmer finds himself in a precarious position. Despite achieving some international recognition, a series of missteps and recent high-profile resignations have cast a shadow of doubt over his leadership as the Labour Party prepares for its annual conference this Sunday. Further highlighting Starmer’s vulnerability, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester and a potential future rival, publicly articulated a more left-leaning alternative vision for Labour this week. While Mr. Burnham isn’t expected to challenge for leadership immediately – he’d first need a parliamentary seat – the stir his comments created undeniably exposed the Prime Minister’s current weaknesses.
Adding to the internal challenges, Labour members must elect a new deputy leader after Angela Rayner’s resignation due to a tax scandal. This contest has effectively transformed into a direct test of confidence in Starmer’s leadership, as his detractors consider voting against his favored candidate. Some analysts contend that Labour, perhaps complacent after their Conservative predecessors’ tumultuous seven years and five prime ministers, was ill-prepared for the realities of governance following last year’s election. John McTernan, a political strategist and former aide to Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, remarked that the Labour Party erred in assuming that mere “competent governance” would be enough to satisfy the nation. He emphasized that for voters, stable government is simply the baseline expectation.
Persistent inflation and a lack of visible improvements in healthcare have left voters frustrated by the sluggish pace of change. Critics also point to Starmer’s technocratic approach and uninspiring communication style, suggesting these have left many citizens confused about the government’s overall direction.
Claire Ainsley, a former policy director for Starmer, highlighted the formidable economic challenges inherited by the government: a sluggish economy, insufficient public service investment, and substantial debt. She asserted that Starmer’s crucial task is to articulate a more defined political direction. Furthermore, center-left parties must more effectively illustrate the real-world consequences of populist policies, a point stressed by Neera Tanden, CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and a former Biden administration official. Tanden observed that “divisive and nationalist rhetoric can be very appealing” in the U.S. However, she warned that “The Trump administration’s policies are disproportionately harming working-class people — 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.”