London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was consulting colleagues on Tuesday about whether he can remain in office ahead of a cabinet meeting, after ministerial aides quit and almost 80 Labour lawmakers publicly called for him to go.
Calls for a timetable to step down
Starmer, who has been prime minister for less than two years, vowed on Monday to stay on after Labour suffered one of its worst defeats in last week’s local elections and large parts of his parliamentary party turned against him.
British media reports said several cabinet ministers, including interior minister Shabana Mahmood and foreign minister Yvette Cooper, have told Starmer he needs to set out a date at which he will step down.
Almost 80 lawmakers from different ideological wings of the party have called for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure to trigger a leadership competition.
Senior minister says decision rests with Starmer
Senior minister Darren Jones told Times Radio on Tuesday that Starmer was listening to colleagues and that it was up to him to make a decision.
“He’s listening to colleagues, and he’s talking to colleagues. I can’t get ahead of any decision he may or may not take,” Jones said.
Political fallout and upcoming parliamentary agenda
Starmer sought to shore up his position on Monday by promising in a speech to act more boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain’s problems, but lawmakers soon began publicly calling for him to quit or signalling that he would go, pushing borrowing costs higher.
Starmer said the country would never forgive the centre-left Labour Party if it embarked on a leadership challenge, two years after its large parliamentary majority was meant to end political chaos that followed Britain’s vote to leave the European Union 10 years ago.
Starmer is Britain’s fourth prime minister in five years, and the challenge to his leadership comes a day before King Charles is due to set out the government’s legislative agenda in a parliamentary ceremony on Wednesday.
How do you think Labour’s internal divisions could affect the government’s legislative agenda?