UK's Starmer under renewed pressure as lawmakers urge him to quit

Keir Starmer came under renewed pressure yesterday (11 May) when four ministerial aides stepped down and more than 70 Labour lawmakers publicly called for the British prime minister's resignation after his appeal for another chance seemingly fell on deaf ears.

At an address to party faithful in London, Starmer made an impassioned plea to both his party and voters to stick with him and avoid a leadership contest that he said would only bring chaos, but his speech appeared to do little to stem the tide.

The Times newspaper reported that Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood and other cabinet ministers had told the prime minister to consider setting out a timeline for his departure as Labour lawmakers went public with their dissatisfaction following one of the party's worst defeats in last week's local elections.

Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper told Starmer that he should oversee an orderly transition of power, according to the Guardian.

ITV News reported that Starmer's deputy, David Lammy, was also urging his boss to set out a departure timetable.

Four ministerial aides said they were resigning, believing that Starmer, 63, was not the man to lead Labour into the next national election, due in 2029, and hoping to trigger a leadership contest that could last weeks, if not months.

Starmer swiftly announced new appointments to fill several vacant positions.

Nevertheless, Starmer's attempt to convince his party and voters that he could be bolder in tackling the myriad problems facing Britain since he won a large majority in 2024 appeared unlikely to win over the very people it was aimed at.

PM has lost authority, says ministerial aide

"It is clear to me that the prime minister has lost authority not just within the parliamentary Labour Party but across the country and that he will not be able to regain it," said Tom Rutland, a ministerial aide to the environment minister, in his resignation letter.

Catherine West, a little-known former junior minister who broke cover at the weekend to threaten to seek a leadership contest if Starmer failed to offer radical change, told Reuters she had received 80 responses supporting her demand that the prime minister set out a timetable for his departure.

She called for a leadership election to take place in September.

The Times reported that Mahmood was one of at least three cabinet ministers to suggest that the prime minister needed to consider his position.

Downing Street officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the cabinet is due to meet on this morning (12 May).

Two of Starmer's closest allies, Environment Minister Steve Reed and Defence Minister John Healey, entered the prime minister's Downing Street office late on Monday, according to Sky News.

Earlier, Starmer had tried to change the narrative around his premiership, arguing that he would now offer a "complete break" with the decision-making of the past that had led to the "status quo".

On any leadership bid, he said continuity was more important given the global backdrop of conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

Starmer promised to govern with the "hope" and "urgency" required to improve living standards and build a "stronger, fairer" Britain in an effort to counter the challenge posed by the populist Reform UK party on the right and the Greens on the left ahead of the next national election.

'I will prove them wrong'

"Our response this time must be different, a complete break. We must make this country stronger and take control of our economic security," Starmer said earlier yesterday.

"I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain. Frustrated by politics, and some people are frustrated with me," he said. "I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong. And I will," Starmer told an audience of party faithful, who gave him several standing ovations.

The applause was far removed from the messaging groups of Labour lawmakers, where discussions about removing Starmer intensified after the party lost hundreds of seats in elections to councils in England and the parliaments in Scotland and Wales.

While few Labour lawmakers were prepared to publicly endorse Starmer, the prime minister's closest allies again warned against removing a leader so early in his premiership, saying it would only further damage Britain.

"Changing leader just leads to chaos. We saw what happened under the Tories. Let's learn from their mistakes, not repeat them," Reed said on social media, referring to the opposition Conservative Party.

But Reed appeared to be a lone voice. Earlier attempts to oust Starmer had been met with strong backing from most of his top cabinet ministers.

Angela Rayner, former deputy prime minister and seen as a potential leadership challenger after criticising Starmer's operation on Sunday (10 May) told a union conference the government "will be judged on actions and not just our words".

Starmer has long said he would not leave his job voluntarily, and his team said the speech was intended to show that the often quietly spoken former lawyer remained determined to deliver not only for his party but for the wider country.

In the speech, he promised to build closer ties with Europe, nationalise a key steel business and do more to help young people enter the workforce.

"I'm not going to walk away," Starmer said.