politics
Four Ministerial Aides Resign; 60 Labour MPs Urge Starmer to Set Departure Date
Joe Morris, Melanie Ward, Naushabah Khan and Tom Rutland quit their PPS roles on 11 May 2026 while calling for Sir Keir Starmer to resign or name a timetable to stand down. Starmer responded with a speech insisting he would prove doubters wrong. Local election losses, including almost 1,500 councillors and defeat in Wales, triggered the crisis.
May 11, 3:36 PM·2m read3 sources
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Four ministerial aides resigned on 11 May 2026 as they joined more than 60 Labour MPs publicly urging Sir Keir Starmer to resign immediately or set out a timetable to stand down. Joe Morris quit as PPS to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Melanie Ward resigned as PPS to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Naushabah Khan as PPS to Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones, and Tom Rutland as PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.
Sally Jameson, who remains PPS to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, called for Sir Keir Starmer to "set out a clear timetable for his departure in September or shortly after". A PPS is an unpaid role appointed by a minister to act as their assistant. Eighty MPs have signed Catherine West’s letter calling for Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.
In a speech on 11 May 2026, Sir Keir Starmer insisted he would prove the doubters wrong and would not be quitting. He admitted the government had made mistakes but said he had "got the big political choices right". Sir Keir Starmer vowed not to walk away, saying this would "plunge our country into chaos, as the Tories did time and again".
Catherine West had threatened to kick-start a leadership contest over the weekend but after Sir Keir Starmer's speech on 11 May 2026 called on him to set out a timetable for his departure by September. Angela Rayner told a conference of the Communication Workers Union that "we as a party have to do better than this".
She stated that Sir Keir Starmer had "acknowledged the frustration" voters expressed through last week's election results but "we will be judged on actions and not just our words".
Angela Rayner reiterated her call for Andy Burnham to be allowed to return to Parliament. The NEC blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year. Burnham has the support of many Labour MPs but any leadership contender must be a member of Parliament.
