Five PR lessons from the downfall of a Prime Minister
From landslide to resignation: Why did Keir Starmer lose the favour of the British people?
When Keir Starmer stood outside Number 10 on Monday morning and announced he was stepping down, it struck me that his final speech might be his best one yet.
He reminded us of his achievements. More money into the NHS, falling child poverty figures, a country, he said, that was stronger and fairer than the one he'd inherited. His voice cracked at the end. For the first time in a long while, he sounded like his authentic self. Like someone you could believe in
What struck me was that this was coming too late. Because if you only tell your story on the way out the door, you've already lost. Starmer had credentials worth sharing. He had led the Labour Party into power in 2024. But he quickly lost the favour of the British people. It made me take a second look at why that was.
For those of us who help organisations and leaders protect and build their reputations, there’s plenty we can learn from this fall from grace.
Lesson one: winning isn't the same as being believed
That 2024 landslide looked like a ringing endorsement. But in reality, Labour won on around a third of the vote, with many analysts suggesting it was a vote *against* the Conservatives rather than *for* Labour. Starmer mistook a big win for a deep one, and never quite managed to turn that borrowed mandate into genuine belief.
PR take: a launch, a win or a landslide buys you attention, but not loyalty. The persuading starts the morning after, with trust taking a long time to earn, and being easily broken.
Lesson two: consistency is credibility
Winter fuel payments. Welfare cuts. U-turn after U-turn. Each climbdown was defensible on its own terms, but stacked together, they told the narrative of a leader struggling to hold the line. People will forgive you for a tough decision held firmly. But a sense that you can’t stand by your convictions suggests a lack of credibility.
PR take: people trust consistency and conviction. A firm unpopular position beats indecision and U-turns.
Lesson three: you're judged by the company you keep
Kier was never going to recover from Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to Washington. If only he had taken the studious style he was known for to this appointment and done his due diligence. When the ties to Jeffrey Epstein surfaced, Starmer was forced to dismiss him and apologise to Epstein's victims. But the damage didn't stay with Mandelson. It flowed straight back to the man who'd made the cal
PR take: your reputation is only as good as the people and partners you work with. Do the due diligence before making partnership decisions.
Lesson 4: if you don't tell your story, someone e
Some of Starmer's genuinely strong moments barely landed with the public. His diplomacy with Trump over tariffs, then standing firm against US pressure over the Iran war, was, by most reasonable measures, a win for a Prime Minister holding a clear line when it counted. But these moments went largely unnoticed, because his comms didn’t make the case as compelling as they should have been. And this left space. Space that Reform was only too happy to fill.
PR take: delivery and communication are two different jobs. Quiet competence can be mistaken for doing nothing.
Lesson five: competence doesn't create connection
Capable but cold. That was the read on Starmer even when the public was warmer to him. The managerial style, the famous interview where he said he didn't dream and had no favourite book. People could see someone who could do the job but was he someone who really cared about them. And trust isn't just *can they do it*; it’s ‘do they actually have my back?* The emotion in that leaving speech was real. It just turned up about two years too late.
PR take: people follow leaders they feel something for. Personality, credibility and humanity aren't soft extras, they're the foundation.
Reputation isn't built on what you do. It's built on what people understand and believe about what you do. You can be brilliant and still lose the room if you never tell the story.
At Purplefish, helping leaders tell that story clearly, consistently, and well is what we do.
If your organisation is facing a moment that matters, let’s chat about how we can make sure your audiences take the right messages from it.