Labour: Kim Howells warns party could 'easily lose' general election

Kim Howells believes the so-called summer of discontent could cause Labour problems at election time

Former foreign office minister Kim Howells has warned Labour could easily lose the next general election.

Dr Howells, who was in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments, said the cost of living crisis and rail strikes could cause the party problems.

The former Pontypridd MP said UK party leader Sir Keir Starmer could find it difficult to convince people to vote for Labour.

The Labour party declined to comment.

Speaking to BBC Wales' Sunday Supplement programme Dr Howells said the so-called summer of discontent could cause issues for the UK party in the event of an election.

Dr Howells said: "They could easily lose the next election, I'm afraid. They've got to up their game no end."

He said Sir Keir had to spell out the party's beliefs and policies.

• Trade unions: What are they and who is allowed to strike?

• When is the next general election and could it be called sooner?

"They've got to stop all this factional fighting," he said.

"It's the curse of the Labour party and always has been."

When is the next general election due?

UK general elections - where all 650 MPs are elected to the House of Commons - have to be held no more than five years apart.

Unless an earlier one is called, the next election isn't due until January 2025.

This represents five years from the day the current Parliament first met (17 December 2019), plus the time required for an election campaign.