South Swindon MP Heidi Alexander has offered one of the clearest endorsements of the Prime Minister from the town, urging colleagues not to turn inward at what she described as a serious international and economic moment.
In a strongly worded statement, Alexander said:
“The Prime Minister has my full support.
“The public won’t thank us for morphing into some sort of self-indulgent debating society, when we are grappling with the knock-on impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.
“We are the Government of a major G7 economy and we should act like one.”
She also pointed to pressure on household finances, saying concerns over petrol prices, bills and supermarket costs were her priority and that of the Prime Minister this week.
Her comments follow significant Labour losses in last week’s local elections across parts of England.
In Swindon, the party lost control of Swindon Borough Council only a year after taking power.
Alexander’s intervention places her firmly in the pro-Starmer camp at a time when some Labour MPs nationally are questioning the party’s direction.
Attention has also turned to North Swindon MP Will Stone, whose response has been more cautious.
Stone has reportedly told the BBC:
“I imagine there is going to be a lot of scheming going on in Westminster, I’m going to keep myself completely separate to that.” while also saying he is “focussing on Swindon”.
There is currently no public evidence that Stone is organising against the Prime Minister or calling for a leadership challenge.
The difference in tone between Swindon’s two Labour MPs comes as the party assesses the political impact of its local election performance.
How both MPs position themselves in the coming weeks may attract further attention as Labour seeks to stabilise support.
