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Yvette Cooper has launched a vicious attack on Keir Starmer's premiership as she admitted Labour 'hasn't done government very well'.

The Health Secretary despaired at Sir Keir's two years in charge - before he was ousted as Prime Minister by Andy Burnham - as she gave a damning assessment of her party's performance since it's general election landslide in 2024.

Ms Cooper was Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary under Sir Keir but was last month moved to the Department of Health and Social Care by Mr Burnham.

Despite her demotion from one of the great offices of state, Ms Cooper was effusive about the new PM's leadership style.

By contrast, she complained about Sir Keir's own approach and lamented how his 'missions' for government 'kind of disappeared' during his two-year premiership.

She moaned that Sir Keir wanted Cabinet ministers to 'bring me solutions, not problems', adding: 'I'm not sure you can do that in politics'.

Speaking to the Political Currency podcast, hosted by ex-chancellor George Osborne, Ms Cooper also swiped at Sir Keir for making major announcements 'on his own'.

This was despite him having 'not really been involved in the development of the policies', she added.

Yvette Cooper has admitted Labour 'hasn't done government very well' since the party's general election landslide in 2024

The Health Secretary gave the stark assessment as she delivered a scathing verdict on Keir Starmer's two years in charge, before he was ousted by Andy Burnham

Ms Cooper is married to Ed Balls, who is usually a co-host of the podcast but didn't appear alongside Mr Osborne for the special episode with his wife.

'I don't think we have done government very well in the last couple of years,' Ms Cooper said as she reflected on Labour's time in power so far.

'I think we've been pursuing a lot of really important things, a lot of things we've made massive progress on and achieved.

'We've got 3,000 more neighbourhood police on the beat in the first year... we've got NHS waiting times and lists coming down.

'You've got a whole set of things, you know, new policies being introduced that make a massive difference. But I think the focus shifted quite a lot.

'So we had missions in the first six months, and then they kind of disappeared.

'But some of it is probably also... is maybe a style of leading the government that maybe doesn't necessarily work in politics.'

The Health Secretary added: 'Keir's style of leadership was bring me solutions, not problems. And I'm not sure you can do that in politics.

'The thing you see with Andy is it's like, 'Hang on, bring me the problems. I want to talk to you about the problems. I want to engage. I want to hear about the problems, and I want us to work together in solving them'.

'And maybe the bring me the solutions that can work in other forms of institutions. Actually, in some ways, it can be quite a legal and judicial approach.

'You know, you see the sets of problems and solutions set out for you, and you choose between them.

'I don't think the nature of politics is you've got to have a passion and be hungry about the problems and what it is you want to solve.'

Ms Cooper moaned that Sir Keir wanted Cabinet ministers to 'bring me solutions, not problems', adding: 'I'm not sure you can do that in politics'

Despite her demotion from one of the great offices of state by Mr Burnham, Ms Cooper was effusive about the new PM's leadership style

Ms Cooper described how, when she was Home Secretary, Downing Street wanted Sir Keir to announce Labour's plans to cut legal migration 'on his own'.

'That was the way the No10 operated,' she said. 'It was like, well, you can sit in the front row of the launch, but actually the PM is going to launch it.

'But actually the PM's not really been involved in the development of the policies.'

She compared this to Mr Burnham's recent speech on social care, adding: 'The energy behind doing social care, a lot of that has come from Andy.

'I'm still new in post. A lot of that's come from Andy because it's something he's been passionate about, but he wanted to then talk a lot about what's the problems here.

'How should we be thinking about it? How should we be trying to solve it? And he wanted me to be part of the event, launching it, to be speaking at it, to be talking about it. And I think that's maybe a… there's a difference in style of operating.'