More Than 60 UK Labour MPs Call for Keir Starmer to Step Down

Joe Morris, MP for Hexham, stepped down as a parliamentary private secretary and said it would be in the best interests of the country for Starmer to set out a swift timetable for a leadership contest. Two other ministerial aides also called for Starmer to set a timetable for departure.

Tom Rutland resigned as parliamentary private secretary to the environment secretary, citing a lack of faith in Starmer. Naushabah Khan, a parliamentary private secretary to the Cabinet Office, said the prime minister had lost the confidence of the public.

MPs exchanged messages in a WhatsApp group for those elected in 2024 as they debated whether to support or resist the effort to remove Starmer. Natasha Irons, MP for Croydon East, wrote that changing leader because Nigel Farage had forced them to was not something they could recover from.

Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley, responded that anyone who thinks the situation is sustainable needs an MRI. Laurence Turner, MP for Birmingham Northfield, replied that they get enough insults on social media and should leave them out of the chat. Nesil Caliskan, MP for Barking and a whip, added that the exchange was really rude.

Catherine West emailed Labour MPs seeking names to support her demand for a leadership election in September. Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn, joined those calling for Starmer to quit. She described him as a good man of huge integrity who has done a lot for the country but said he is not the person to help win future elections.

Starmer to Go A YouGov survey of nearly 5,000 people conducted on Monday found that 50 per cent of respondents believe Starmer should stand down as prime minister, up seven points from mid-April. Twenty-nine per cent said he should remain. Among 2024 Labour voters, 40 per cent said he should stand down while 45 per cent said he should remain.

Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton, called on Labour’s National Executive Committee to allow Andy Burnham to stand in any contest so members could have a genuine choice. Blue Labour, a campaign group, also called for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure and said no candidate should be blocked from standing.

Starmer said he would not walk away from the battle for Britain’s soul. He pledged to bring forward legislation to nationalise British Steel, deliver an ambitious youth experience scheme, and show a bigger response on growth, defence, Europe and energy.

Angela Rayner told the CWU conference that Andy Burnham should not have been blocked from a Westminster return.