Keir Starmer clings on as Prime Minister as Labour plunged into civil war
More than 80 MPs have urged the PM to step down - but 100 others have warned against a leadership contest.
Sir Keir Starmer was clinging onto power on Tuesday night as outright civil war broke out within the Labour Party with the resignation of four junior ministers and 87 MPs calling for the Prime Minister to resign.
Meanwhile, 110 MPs came to the aid of Sir Keir and signed a statement opposing any leadership bid, while Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy set out his “full support” for the prime minister and encouraged colleagues to step back and “take a breath” following a deeply tumultuous day at Number 10.
Mr Lammy added: "It has been 24 hours now. No-one has come forward to put themselves forward in the processes that exist in the party.”
He added that those suggesting Starmer stand down as prime minister should "say which candidate would do better".
Sir Keir’s key rival for the leadership, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, is due to meet with the prime minister on Wednesday morning, before the King’s Speech that will set out the government’s legislative programme for the next year.
Meanwhile, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, also widely touted as a successor to Sir Keir, travelled to London but remained silent on the crisis within the party. He would need to become a MP before any leadership bid.
SNP’s David Doogan, the SNP’s new leader in Westminster, said Westminster was now “consumed by chaos” after the weekly cabinet meeting to discuss the economic impact of conflict in Middle East led to warfare within Labour.
Mr Doogan said: “Ahead of the King's Speech, all focus should be on securing the urgent package of financial support that families desperately need to tackle the cost of living, including removing VAT from fuel and introducing a Household Energy Price Cap, but instead Westminster is, once again, consumed by chaos and only talking to itself.”
Four of Sir Keir’s junior ministers -Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh - quit yesterday, saying the Prime Minister should resign.
They are among more than 80 MPs who have urged him to step down but by 9.30pm, Sir Keir moved to replace the junior ministers and appointed Nesil Caliskan, Natalie Fleet, Catherine Atkinson and Preet Kaur Gill in their place.
The Prime Minister made clear on Tuesday morning that he would fight to stay in office, saying that “the country expects us to get on with governing”.
Sir Keir broke cover in the afternoon as he met construction apprentices during a visit to London South Bank Technical College with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.
Safeguarding minister Ms Phillips, the most high profile of the departures, criticised the Prime Minister’s failure to be “bold”.
She said: “I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter. I’m not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that’s needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress.”
Glasgow South West MP Dr Ahmed, an ally of leadership hopeful Wes Streeting and an old school friend of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, followed her out of the door on Tuesday afternoon.
The surgeon said there had been a “lack of values-driven leadership” and that his government “became the midwife for the delivery of an incompetent fifth term SNP government”.
He said: “It is clear to see that whatever the magnitude of individual achievements and progress, they are now being dwarfed and undermined by a lack of values-driven leadership at the centre.
“It is clear from recent days, that the public across the UK has now irretrievably lost confidence in you as Prime Minister.
“This was apparent in the recent Scottish Parliament elections where on door after door your name was specifically cited as the driving reason why Labour voters of 2024 would not vote for Scottish Labour in 2026.
“The noise created at the centre of the government you lead, inadvertently became the midwife for the delivery of an incompetent fifth term SNP government, and one which will now inflict more division and decay on my constituents of Glasgow South West.
“This is an outcome that is as intolerable as it was avoidable.”
Dr Ahmed is one of 10 Scottish Labour MPs who have called for the PM to quit. Parliamentary Private Secretaries Melanie Ward and Gordon McKee had resigned on Monday evening.
The others are Graeme Downie, Richard Baker, Maureen Burke, Irene Campbell, Brian Leishman, Euan Stainbank and Alan Gemmell.
Victims minister Ms Davies-Jones, believed to be a supporter of Health Secretary Mr Streeting, quit the Home Office.
She said there had been a lack of “bold, radical action” and that the government “needed to do more”.
Resigning housing minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, an ally of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said the public had lost trust in Sir Keir because of issues such as the scrapping of the winter fuel payment.
She said: “We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as a Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions.
“Mistakes such as the winter fuel payment and cuts to the support provided to disabled people have left too many of my constituents doubting our mission.
“And the message on the doorstep was clear: you, Prime Minister, have lost the trust and confidence of the public.”
It comes after a disastrous set of Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local election results last week.
Labour had its worst ever result in Scotland, was booted out of power in Wales for the first time and lost 1,500 councillors in England.
Despite the rising pressure, Sir Keir earlier defied calls for him to vacate No 10, telling his Cabinet the country “expects us to get on with governing” and “that is what I am doing”.
He avoided being directly challenged as he declined to discuss his leadership during Tuesday’s gathering or meet critics individually afterwards
In a statement released by Downing Street, he said: “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised.
“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 country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.”
An individual candidate needs the backing of more than 80 MPs to spark a leadership contest.
Senior Government ministers Steve Reed, Peter Kyle, Liz Kendall and Pat McFadden all came out in support of Sir Keir after the cabinet meeting.
Communities Secretary Mr Reed said: “The Prime Minister has my full support.
“The Labour Party has a process for triggering a leadership election.
“That has not happened, so we all intend to get on with our jobs and that’s what I’m going to do.”
A statement understood to have been signed by more than 100 Labour MPs urged colleagues to unite behind the Prime Minister.
The statement said: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.
“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.
“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham - who is also a leadership contender but needs a Commons seat - was in London on Tuesday.
He was spotted on the train and pictured outside Euston Station.
As Sir Keir battled to impose his authority, Nesil Caliskan was made a parliamentary under-secretary of state (PPS) in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Natalie Fleet a PPS in the Home Office, Catherine Atkinson a PPS in the Ministry of Justice and Preet Kaur Gill a PPS in the Department of Health and Social Care.
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