Pressure is mounting on the 63-year-old to stand down
(Image: WPA Pool, Getty Images)
More than 70 Labour MPs have publicly demanded that Sir Keir Starmer hand in his resignation as the leader of the party after a dismal result in last week’s local elections across England, Scotland and Wales.
The humiliating defeat at the polls saw Labour lose ground to Reform UK on the right and the Greens on the left with the loss of more than 1400 council seats nationally. That electoral blow, coupled with the Peter Mandelson scandal in recent months, has left the position of the Prime Minister shrouded in fragility.
In a passionate speech on Monday morning, Sir Keir said he will not walk away if a leadership competition is launched.
The former Director of Public Prosecutions vowed to prove his “doubters” wrong as he fought back against calls for him to quit.
Describing the election results as “tough”, he told an audience in central London: “I get it, I feel it, and I take responsibility, but it’s not just about taking responsibility for the results. It’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.”
In the wake of Starmer’s address, former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said it was a mistake on the Prime Minister’s behalf to block the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham’s, bid to gain a seat in the House of Commons.
Speaking at the Communication Workers Union (CWU) conference in Bournemouth, Ms Rayner said: “We as the party have to do better than this and we can only prove we mean our Labour values by putting the common interest ahead of factionalism.”
She added: “And we can start by accepting that Andy Burnham should never have been blocked – it was a mistake that the leadership of our party should put right.”
In the wake of Sir Keir’s fiery oration earlier today, dozens of his party members have called for him to throw the towel in.
As of 8.40pm on Monday, May 11, 66 Labour MPs have publicly called for Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation. These include:
- Clive Betts
- Sarah Owen
- Connor Naismith
- David Baines
- John McDonnell
- Ian Lavery
- Clive Lewis
- Jonathan Brash
- Louise Haigh
- Anneliese Midgley
- Simon Opher
- Richard Burgon
- Olivia Blake
- Paula Barker
- Ian Byrne
- Neil Duncan-Jordan
- Apsana Begum
- Chris Hinchcliff
- Kim Johnson
- Ruth Jones
- Andy McDonald
- Kate Osborne
- Jon Trickett
- Nadia Whittome
- Beccy Cooper
- Catheine West
- Tony Vaughan
- Barry Gardiner
- Abitsam Mohamed
- Josh Simons
- Irene Campbell
- Cat Eccles
- Anna Dixon
- Justin Madders
- Terry Jermy
- Imran Hussain
- Euan Stainbank
- Graham Stringer
- Rachael Maskell
- Debbie Abrahams
- Peter Lamb
- Brian Leishman
- Julia Buckley
- Paulette Hamilton
- Catherine McKinnell
- Navendu Mishra
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy
- Emma Lewell
- David Smith
- Chris Curtis
- Luke Myer
- Markus Campbell-Savours
- Alan Gemmell
- Fred Thomas
- Lorraine Beavers
- Jas Athwal
- Sarah Smith
- Jo Platt
- Tonia Antoniazzi
- Alex Ballinger
- Tom Rutland
- Sally Jameson
- Naushabah Khan
- Melanie Ward
- Mary Kelly Foy
- Charlotte Nichols
- Alex McIntyre
- Maureen Burke
- Sarah Hall
- Gordon McKee
- Tahir Ali