Labour MP Calls for Leadership Challenge Against Starmer

A backbench Labour MP has threatened to launch a leadership contest against the prime minister unless cabinet ministers step forward by Monday following significant losses in local elections across England, Scotland and Wales. The MP told the BBC she would listen to what the prime minister says in a planned speech on Monday but would then put out a call for names if still dissatisfied.

She said she already has the backing of 10 Labour MPs and would need 81 to trigger a formal contest. The MP added that the party has a problem that must be fixed quickly to avoid uncertainty and because it is the only party that can beat Reform UK. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson rallied behind the prime minister in an interview on the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Phillipson acknowledged that Labour had taken a real kicking from voters in Thursday's elections and that the party needed to tell a better story and deliver faster. Phillipson said she does not believe the message from the elections is that the party should spend time fighting amongst itself.

She insisted the prime minister would set out a fresh direction for the country and the party in his speech on Monday. Asked if she believed he would still be leader at the next general election in 2029 at the latest, Phillipson said yes.

Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in England, mainly to Reform UK and the Greens. The party was also kicked out of power in Wales and came joint second in Scotland, where the SNP retained control of the Parliament. The prime minister has not been seen publicly on Sunday but told The Sunday Mirror and The Observer that he wants to continue and deliver on a 10-year project of renewal.

He will attempt to reset his premiership in the major speech on Monday ahead of Wednesday's King's Speech, which will outline the government's legislative plans for the coming year.

More than 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for the prime minister to resign or set out a timetable for his departure. Two additional MPs urged him to step down on Sunday, with one writing that the prime minister has lost the country and should oversee an orderly transition to a new leader.

The Unite union leader said she was very sure the prime minister would not lead Labour into the next election. A former Conservative minister who has switched to Reform UK described the prime minister as an asset to her new party but said Labour should change its leader for the sake of the country.

Potential challengers are said to include the health secretary, the former deputy prime minister and the Greater Manchester mayor. The mayor cannot enter a contest without first becoming an MP and was blocked earlier this year from standing in a by-election.

He argued that building a closer relationship with the EU was the best way to deliver economic growth but that the prime minister's plans were too weak and unambitious. The prime minister's office has not issued a direct response to the latest calls for a leadership contest.