Jonathan Reynolds grilled over Keir Starmer's absence

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Good Morning Britain host Charlotte Hawkins challenged Labour frontbencher Jonathan Reynolds amid claims that party leader Sir Keir Starmer has been “missing in action”. This comes as households have been warned of sharp rises in energy prices, with average bills forecast to reach £4,200 in 2023. Ms Hawkins told Mr Reynolds that Gordon Brown, Martin Lewis, and Sir Ed Davey were now “effectively the opposition” compared to Sir Keir’s Labour Party.

Gordon Brown, Martin Lewis, and Sir Ed Davey have all come out with strong, clear reactions to the cost of living crisis this week – while the Labour leader has been on holiday.

The GMB host said: “People want to see the leader front and centre and there are a lot of questions.

“Where is Sir Keir Starmer in all of this? Why haven’t we heard from him?

“There is a national crisis going on. You have accused the Government of being missing in action but so are you.”

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She continued: “A lot of people are saying, we are hearing from Gordon Brown, Martin Lewis, Ed Davey.

“They are effectively the opposition because we haven’t heard a strong, clear line from Keir Starmer on this.”

Mr Reynolds struggle to respond, claiming that “back in January the Labour Party proposed the windfall tax in opposition”.

Ms Hawkins fired back: “Sorry but that was back in January!

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“We know that the price cap will be significantly higher than it was forecast to be back then.

“We are in an escalating crisis right now. You can talk about January but we are talking about right now.

“Where is Keir Starmer and why haven’t we heard from him?”

When Mr Reynolds said Keir Starmer “will respond” in time, co-host Adil Ray hit back.

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He said: “You accuse the Conservatives of not having a plan, and they say something will come out in the next few days, a couple of weeks.

“You are saying effectively the same thing!”

As a sign of infighting within the Labour Party, left-wing grassroots group Momentum said the Labour leadership had “gone Awol, and even been outflanked by the Liberal Democrats”.

Former Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown, called for energy companies that cannot lower prices to be temporarily renationalised.

In what was seen as a pointed dig at Sir Keir, Mr Brown wrote in The Guardian that “time and tide wait for no one. Neither do crises. They don’t take holidays, and don’t politely hang fire”.

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