London, United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would continue in office and described his government as a “10-year project,” amid growing calls within Labour for him to step down after heavy local election losses.
Election results and internal dissent
Labour suffered the worst local election losses for a governing party in more than three decades, while the populist Reform UK party made significant gains. The results prompted a growing number of Labour lawmakers to call for Starmer’s removal.
A former minister in Starmer’s government, Catherine West, said she would seek the backing of lawmakers to trigger a leadership contest unless his cabinet took steps to remove him by Monday.
Leadership challenge threshold
Under party rules, a leadership challenge would require support from 20% of the parliamentary party, or 81 lawmakers. About 30 members of parliament have publicly voiced opposition to Starmer’s leadership.
Starmer’s response and cabinet support
In an interview with the Observer published on Sunday, Starmer said he would lead Labour into the next general election and serve a full second term, replying: “Yes, I will.”
He said he would not leave the role he was elected to do in July 2024 and added that he would not “plunge the country into chaos.” If Starmer were removed in the coming weeks, Britain would have its seventh prime minister in the past decade.
Starmer’s cabinet has remained loyal despite the election losses. Education minister Bridget Phillipson said she was confident Starmer could turn things around and told Sky News on Sunday that he would set out a “fresh direction” for Britain in a speech on Monday. She said Labour had taken “a real kicking from the voters” and needed to reflect seriously.
What do you think Starmer should prioritise in response to Labour’s local election losses?