Sir Keir Starmer is facing growing calls to stand down after Friday’s disastrous local and devolved election results – the worst on record for the Labour Party.
The prime minister has said he will not resign following the results, and in a fightback speech on Monday vowed to “face up to the big challenges ahead”.
But as 84 Labour MPs have now called on Sir Keir to stand down (either now or at some point soon) and make way for a leadership contest. The list continues to grow with a wave of statements issued on Monday evening, as the prime minister remains defiant.
There is no formal confidence vote procedure to oust a Labour leader. Any challenger to Sir Keir would instead require the support of 81 MPs – 20 per cent of the party in the Commons – to trigger a contest.
These MPs would all have to back the same candidate to succeed the prime minister.
Full list of Labour MPs to either call on Sir Keir to quit immediately or set a timetable for his resignation.
Four ministerial aides have handed in their resignations amid the chaos, including Joe Morris, a ministerial aide to Wes Streeting, widely considered a potential leadership contender.
Tom Rutland, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to environment secretary Emma Reynolds and Cabinet Office PPS Naushabah Khan also resigned while calling on Sir Keir to step down.
Both former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and health secretary Wes Streeting are seen as potential leadership contenders, although both are yet to make a move against the prime minister.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is also seen as a candidate, although he is still not an MP after Sir Keir prevented him from becoming Labour’s candidate in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
On Sunday, Ms Rayner said that Labour’s approach “isn’t working, and it needs to change”, adding that the party should not have blocked Mr Burnham from attempting to become an MP.
Labour MP Catherine West called on cabinet members over the weekend to challenge Sir Keir by Monday, threatening to start formally gathering names to trigger a contest.
After Sir Keir’s speech on Monday morning, in which he vowed to prove doubters wrong and would not “walk away”, Ms West backed down from a leadership bid, but urged Labour MPs to call on the prime minister to set out a timetable for his resignation by September.
The growing list of Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) members who have spoken out against the prime minister goes beyond the list of usually vocal opponents, echoing the 100-plus strong rebellion over welfare cuts that the cabinet faced last July.
Among them are former transport secretary Louise Haigh, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and veteran MP Barry Gardiner.
Signalling for Sir Keir to resign, Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, claimed that the prime minister “has never been an electoral asset.”
He said on BBC Newsnight: “The blunt reality is, and every single Labour MP will tell you this, he has never been an electoral asset.
“Our best electoral asset was the unpopularity of the Conservatives and the fact that Reform split their vote and that is why I’m sat here today, most of all, but I don’t underestimate the amount of work he did.”
“I think he’s in it for the right reasons. I know his team worked incredibly hard, like we all did, to get us here, but we have to face the facts now,” he continued. “We need a new leader for the Labour Party and our country, most importantly, needs a new leader.”
Labour was elected with 411 seats at the 2024 general election – a 174-seat majority – marking the best performance for the party since 2001. With this many sitting MPs, it technically becomes harder for a leadership challenge to be launched against the prime minister, as 20 per cent of these members would be needed to nominate a contender, which translates to 81 MPs.
However, with the figure of Labour MPs voicing their calls publicly, it will be cause for huge concern within Downing Street.
Who could replace Starmer as prime minister?
Chancellor pulls out of City of London event as Starmer under pressure
Getting rid of Starmer will make things worse for government, Labour MP warns
Cabinet ministers back Keir Starmer after he vows to fight on
Starmer latest: Defiant PM tells cabinet ‘I will not quit’ amid calls for resignation
The timing of the coup against Starmer helps one candidate – Wes Streeting
