LONDON, Sept 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's ruling Labour party gathers for its annual meeting on Sunday, with under-fire Prime Minister Keir Starmer battling to convince nervous lawmakers that he is the right leader to fend off soaring support for the hard right.

It was only in July last year that the ex-lawyer led Labour back to power after 14 years in opposition, but scandals, policy missteps and plummeting poll ratings are already raising doubts about his future.

The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes amid chatter about a possible leadership challenge and follows two recent high-profile departures from government following embarrassing revelations.

The conference, which ends on Wednesday, takes place with Labour lagging well behind the upstart anti-immigrant Reform UK party, led by anti-EU firebrand Nigel Farage, in national surveys.

Starmer referred to Reform as an "enemy" that "goes against the grain of our history", in an interview with the Guardian on Saturday.

"It's not make or break for Starmer since he still has a large majority in parliament and it's difficult for Labour MPs to remove their leader," said Patrick Diamond, politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.

"But the conference is a pivotal moment because it's an opportunity for him to lay out a clear vision of where he is taking the country," he told AFP.

- 'Phase two' -

Ahead of the conference, finance minister Rachel Reeves said she was pushing for a post-Brexit youth migration deal with the European Union.

She told the Times newspaper that an exchange scheme for young workers would be "good for the economy, good for growth and good for business".

Despite enjoying some success on the international stage for his handling of US President Donald Trump and helping co-ordinate European support for Ukraine, Starmer has endured a largely miserable first 14 months domestically as prime minister.

Britain's economy remains anaemic, meaning a tax-raising budget is looming, while Starmer U-turned on welfare reforms and the scrapping of energy benefits for millions of pensioners following anger among Labour's left-wing base.

Meanwhile, small boat crossings to England of undocumented migrants are at record levels, fuelling support for anti-immigrant Reform.

Starmer launched "phase two" of his government earlier this month in a bid to reboot his administration, but it was quickly overshadowed by Angela Rayner's resignation as deputy prime minister for underpaying on a property tax.

- 'Discontent' -

Starmer then sacked Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador in Washington over his friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the row raising questions about his judgement since the relationship was public knowledge at the time of the appointment.

"His leadership is in crisis, really," said political scientist Steven Fielding. "And the conference isn't really going to resolve that. It'll give people occasion to air their discontent with Starmer," he told AFP.

Starmer, regularly accused of a plodding style that lacks political conviction, will seek to spark a turnaround in his fortunes when he takes to the stage for the gathering's keynote speech on Tuesday.

He is expected to pitch the next general election, due in 2029, as a straight fight between Labour and Reform, saying the choice is between "patriotic renewal" and "toxic division".

Regional mayor Andy Burnham has urged Starmer to put forward a more leftist vision for Labour, claiming in interviews this week that lawmakers have been urging him to run for leader.

The charismatic Burnham would first have to find a way to get elected to parliament, and 80 MPs would then have to nominate him to trigger a contest, meaning Starmer is unlikely to face a challenge soon.

The Gaza conflict is also likely to burst onto the agenda with demonstrations planned by pro-Palestinian groups in Liverpool over the weekend.

"Starmer still has time to turn it around," said Diamond, noting that governments often struggle in their first year in power.

But his task could get trickier if Labour members elect Lucy Powell, recently dropped from Starmer's top ministerial team, to succeed Rayner as deputy leader instead of the government's preferred candidate, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

A Powell win next month "would be seen as a vote of no confidence in Starmer", said Fielding.