Starmer refuses to guarantee he will fight next general election amid growing threat from Reform UK

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to commit to fighting the next general election, amid mounting speculation about the prime minister’s future.

He would not guarantee remaining in place, as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surges ahead in the polls and backbench Labour MPs increasingly vent frustration at the direction of the party.

Asked during a visit to Albania about his “plans for the future” and whether he would fight the next election, he refused to commit to seeking a second term.

“You’re getting way ahead of me,” Sir Keir told GB News.

It comes as he faces mounting anger from his own MPs over his crackdown on immigration and his warning that Britain risks becoming an “island of strangers” - echoing Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 “rivers of blood” speech.

Sir Keir is also facing a major rebellion over his welfare cuts, with around 100 Labour MPs reported to have written to Labour’s chief whip urging the government to scale back the reforms.

Labour sources have told The Independent they are increasingly disillusioned at the party’s record and believe it has strayed away from its values under Sir Keir.

Discussing his future, Sir Keir said: “I'm absolutely clear that my task is to rebuild our country. The security that we need, we're getting on with that.

“You've seen it over the last few days - trade deals with India, with the US, hopefully a trading relationship with the EU, very strong growth figures today reflecting the decisions that we've made for interest rate cuts, the actual living wage, waiting lists to come down."

His words come after a fresh poll put Mr Farage’s party five points clear at the top on 30 per cent, with Labour on 25 per cent of the vote.

Reform saw a surge of support in this month’s local elections, taking control of 10 councils and winning 677 seats on local authorities, prompting Labour to declare Mr Farage’s party its official opposition.

Sir Keir has been under renewed fire from Labour MPs this week, after he made a major speech announcing measures to severely reduce immigration into the UK.

He warned that the number of people coming into Britain was causing “incalculable damage” to the country, and said the UK risks becoming “an island of strangers”.

It marked an extraordinary turnaround in the past five years from when he was Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow immigration minister promoting open borders and from three years ago when he claimed that those raising immigration as an issue were “racist”.

One senior Labour backbencher compared his language to right-winger Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech in 1968 which whipped up a frenzy of anti-immigration hatred across the UK.

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis said: “It’s simply not sustainable for the prime minister to echo the language of Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech.”

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson added: "For our prime minister to say today that unfettered immigration risks the UK becoming 'an island of strangers' is deeply concerning.

"We cannot concede to the anti-migrant agenda promoted by those who thrive on division."