As Keir Starmer returns from his summer break in Europe, and Labour MPs head back to Westminster for the new parliamentary session, the government will be hoping to get on the front foot after a tumultuous few months.
The recess has given ministers time to think, and to plan, but also the chance to study the polls. This week, YouGov put Labour on just 20% – the lowest level in more than five years – and eight points behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
