Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown with another former Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, in 2022.An unpopular Labour prime minister struggling on the domestic front is confronted with a global crisis.Despite his travails at home, the PM rises to the moment and rallies international support for his approach.Suddenly, from looking as though he may be ill-suited to the role of prime minister, he is transformed into the right person at the right time.We are not talking about Keir Starmer, who has seen his approval ratings hit a six-month high in light of his response to the Ukraine crisis, but Gordon Brown.Back in 2008, the then-PM’s short-lived honeymoon period in No.10 was a distant memory.With Labour struggling in the polls and his MPs growing more restive by the day, questions were already being asked about whether or not he could survive until the next general election.But the financial crash, triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in America, saw Brown – a former chancellor – hit his stride as prime minister and lead the global response to the crisis.The parallels with the present day are becoming difficult to ignore. After a miserable first eight months in Downing Street, Starmer’s fortunes have been revived at a time of huge global instability.With Donald Trump seemingly determined to end American support for Ukraine, while also telling Europe it must do more to defend itself from Russia, the PM has seized the initiative.Risking the ire of his own backbenchers, he announced that the UK’s foreign aid budget will be cut to pay for an earlier-than-expected boost in defence spending.After meeting Trump in the White House, Starmer convened a summit of world leaders last weekend to forge agreement on how to end the war, while seeking to be a “bridge” between Washington and Europe, too.Unlike the US president, the prime minister has also reiterated his government’s steadfast support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even publicly embracing him during a flying visit to Downing Street.Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, greets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street, London Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)Polling by YouGov suggests that, in purely political terms, Starmer’s approach is working so far.His net approval ratings now stand at minus 28, their highest point since last autumn. The PM has also received praise from MPs across the political spectrum, including former Tory foreign secretary James Cleverly.Patrick English, head of political analytics at YouGov, said: “A number of factors could be feeding in to this. Our latest data shows more people think the government is handling the current situation around the Ukraine war and the US government well (48%) than badly (32%). “The public also supported the government’s recent moveto cut the international aid budget to fund more defence by 65% to 20%. The question remains as to whether this is a short term positive blip in Starmer’s ratings, and whether it will transfer to voting intention, or a flash in the proverbial pan.”A Labour source said: “Like with the financial crash, people are deeply worried, they accept this is a hugely complex situation and don’t instinctively know what the solutions are.“So in those situations, not only are people crying out for strong, decisive leadership, but they’re relieved that someone is providing it.”There are other clear parallels between 2008 and 2025. Then, as now, the cabinet minister nominally in charge of the government’s response – chancellor Alistair Darling then and foreign secretary David Lammy now – played second fiddle to the PM.The response of the Conservative Party has also been similar this time around.A Labour insider said: ”The desperate floundering of Kemi Badenoch and her team, and Farage to some extent, trying to work out how to play this situation is very reminiscent of David Cameron and George Osborne in 2008.“They struggled to decide if they should oppose what Gordon Brown was doing, or support it but also blame him for causing the crisis. The overwhelming impression was that they were not up to the challenge of the moment because they were zig-zagging all over the place.”Although there have been no serious questions about how long Starmer may have left in the job, his emergence as a world statesman will be enough to silence his harshest critics.Similarly, during the global financial crisis, all talk of replacing Brown was put on hold and, ultimately, ditched entirely.The financial crash also allowed Brown to deliver his famous “this is no time for a novice” line at Labour’s 2008 conference, a jibe which was directed at the ambitious cabinet minister David Miliband just as much as David Cameron.And while prime ministers are ultimately judged by what they do to address voters’ domestic concerns rather than how they perform on the global stage, the Ukraine crisis has presented Starmer with an opportunity to finally define what he and his government stand for.“It’s not just that he has found his feet and his voice in the face of this crisis, it’s that the crisis has given him the space and focus to do so,” one source noted.After several false starts, it remains to be seen whether Starmer is able to use the current situation as an opportunity to properly relaunch his government.He will doubtless be hoping to avoid the fate of Gordon Brown, who won widespread praise for the way he steered the UK through the financial crisis only to be booted from office by the voters in 2010.Related…Nigel Farage’s Popularity With British Voters Falls Amid Ukraine CrisisKeir Starmer Enjoys Popularity Boost Over His Response To Ukraine CrisisKeir Starmer Pledges British ‘Boots On The Ground’ To Secure Peace In Ukraine Politics, keir starmer, Ukraine, Gordon Brown, keir-starmer, ukraine, gordon-brown HuffPost UK – Athena2 – All Entries (Public)
Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown with another former Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, in 2022.An unpopular Labour prime minister struggling on the domestic front is confronted with a global crisis.
Despite his travails at home, the PM rises to the moment and rallies international support for his approach.
Suddenly, from looking as though he may be ill-suited to the role of prime minister, he is transformed into the right person at the right time.
We are not talking about Keir Starmer, who has seen his approval ratings hit a six-month high in light of his response to the Ukraine crisis, but Gordon Brown.
Back in 2008, the then-PM’s short-lived honeymoon period in No.10 was a distant memory.
With Labour struggling in the polls and his MPs growing more restive by the day, questions were already being asked about whether or not he could survive until the next general election.
But the financial crash, triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in America, saw Brown – a former chancellor – hit his stride as prime minister and lead the global response to the crisis.
The parallels with the present day are becoming difficult to ignore. After a miserable first eight months in Downing Street, Starmer’s fortunes have been revived at a time of huge global instability.
With Donald Trump seemingly determined to end American support for Ukraine, while also telling Europe it must do more to defend itself from Russia, the PM has seized the initiative.
Risking the ire of his own backbenchers, he announced that the UK’s foreign aid budget will be cut to pay for an earlier-than-expected boost in defence spending.
After meeting Trump in the White House, Starmer convened a summit of world leaders last weekend to forge agreement on how to end the war, while seeking to be a “bridge” between Washington and Europe, too.
Unlike the US president, the prime minister has also reiterated his government’s steadfast support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even publicly embracing him during a flying visit to Downing Street.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, greets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street, London Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)Polling by YouGov suggests that, in purely political terms, Starmer’s approach is working so far.
His net approval ratings now stand at minus 28, their highest point since last autumn. The PM has also received praise from MPs across the political spectrum, including former Tory foreign secretary James Cleverly.
Patrick English, head of political analytics at YouGov, said: “A number of factors could be feeding in to this. Our latest data shows more people think the government is handling the current situation around the Ukraine war and the US government well (48%) than badly (32%).
“The public also supported the government’s recent moveto cut the international aid budget to fund more defence by 65% to 20%. The question remains as to whether this is a short term positive blip in Starmer’s ratings, and whether it will transfer to voting intention, or a flash in the proverbial pan.”
A Labour source said: “Like with the financial crash, people are deeply worried, they accept this is a hugely complex situation and don’t instinctively know what the solutions are.
“So in those situations, not only are people crying out for strong, decisive leadership, but they’re relieved that someone is providing it.”
There are other clear parallels between 2008 and 2025. Then, as now, the cabinet minister nominally in charge of the government’s response – chancellor Alistair Darling then and foreign secretary David Lammy now – played second fiddle to the PM.
The response of the Conservative Party has also been similar this time around.
A Labour insider said: ”The desperate floundering of Kemi Badenoch and her team, and Farage to some extent, trying to work out how to play this situation is very reminiscent of David Cameron and George Osborne in 2008.
“They struggled to decide if they should oppose what Gordon Brown was doing, or support it but also blame him for causing the crisis. The overwhelming impression was that they were not up to the challenge of the moment because they were zig-zagging all over the place.”
Although there have been no serious questions about how long Starmer may have left in the job, his emergence as a world statesman will be enough to silence his harshest critics.
Similarly, during the global financial crisis, all talk of replacing Brown was put on hold and, ultimately, ditched entirely.
The financial crash also allowed Brown to deliver his famous “this is no time for a novice” line at Labour’s 2008 conference, a jibe which was directed at the ambitious cabinet minister David Miliband just as much as David Cameron.
And while prime ministers are ultimately judged by what they do to address voters’ domestic concerns rather than how they perform on the global stage, the Ukraine crisis has presented Starmer with an opportunity to finally define what he and his government stand for.
“It’s not just that he has found his feet and his voice in the face of this crisis, it’s that the crisis has given him the space and focus to do so,” one source noted.
After several false starts, it remains to be seen whether Starmer is able to use the current situation as an opportunity to properly relaunch his government.
He will doubtless be hoping to avoid the fate of Gordon Brown, who won widespread praise for the way he steered the UK through the financial crisis only to be booted from office by the voters in 2010.
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