Starmer Says He Will Not Resign After Labour MPs Call for Leadership Change

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his cabinet on Tuesday morning that he would not resign despite more than 70 Labour MPs calling for him to step down or set out a timetable for departure after the party's heavy losses in last week's local elections across England, Scotland and Wales.

Starmer said he took responsibility for the results but that the Labour Party has a formal process for challenging a leader that had not been triggered. He warned that the past 48 hours of instability carried a real economic cost for the country and families.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet,” he told ministers, according to a statement from Number 10.

More than 70 Labour MPs have gone public with demands that Starmer resign immediately or outline an exit plan. ” “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires,” the minister said in a statement.

” The number of MPs calling for Starmer to go reached 78 according to the BBC, still short of the 81 signatures needed under party rules to trigger a formal leadership contest among the 403 Labour members in the House of Commons.

Several cabinet ministers have privately advised Starmer to draw up a departure timetable, though none have made that position public. The prime minister used the Tuesday cabinet meeting to throw down the gauntlet to potential rivals, insisting they must follow formal party procedures if they wish to challenge him.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told reporters after the meeting that there had been “many statements of support for the job he is doing” around the cabinet table. Several ministers publicly expressed backing for Starmer on social media, with one stating that continued instability would hurt the people who elected Labour less than two years ago.

Starmer had sought to steady his position with a speech on Monday in which he acknowledged public frustration with him personally and pledged to prove doubters wrong. He used the address to announce the nationalisation of British Steel and plans for stronger ties with Europe.

The revolt follows disastrous local election results last week in which Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in England, lost power in Wales and recorded its worst ever result in the Scottish Parliament election. Reform UK and the Greens made gains in areas where Labour suffered heavy losses.

The elections were seen as a key test of Starmer’s leadership amid poor poll ratings and controversy over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Mandelson was later forced to resign from the post over past associations. Groups linked to potential future leadership contenders have begun setting out alternative policy platforms.

One document connected to Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for raising capital gains tax to fund a cut in national insurance, giving mayors more tax powers, creating a new Department of the Prime Minister and allowing Thames Water to fail. It also urged a shift in energy policy to focus on the cost of clean power rather than the volume generated.

Another set of proposals from a group aligned with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham called for changes to fiscal rules, stripping the Treasury of its growth remit and replacing council tax and stamp duty with a new property tax.

““The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government, and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families. The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.””

The prime minister is finalising his second king’s speech, which is still scheduled for delivery on Wednesday and includes measures to move closer to the EU, new immigration curbs, the Hillsborough law and leasehold reforms. Officials have said the speech cannot be cancelled despite the uncertainty over Starmer’s position.

No formal leadership challenge has been launched. Potential candidates mentioned in media coverage include Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, though both would need to navigate party rules and internal dynamics.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has support but would first need to become an MP.