In short: Starmer is facing a leadership crisis

Sir Keir Starmer is fighting to remain prime minister as he looks down on calls from Labor critics to leave Downing Street.

Four members of his cabinet, including Home Secretary Jess Phillips, have resigned, while dozens of Labor MPs are calling for him to step down after a disastrous series of elections for the party last week.

Here’s a summary of what’s happening.

-What happened today?-

Home Minister Shabana Mahmood is among several cabinet ministers urging the prime minister to set a departure time.

But at his weekly cabinet meeting, Sir Keir said he does not intend to resign and threw down the gauntlet to potential rivals to formally challenge him as Labor leader.

No MP has yet launched a formal bid to challenge Sir Keir – a move which requires the support of 81 peers, or 20% of Labor MPs, under party rules.

After the meeting, key allies, including housing minister Steve Reed and work and pensions minister Pat McFadden, told reporters they would continue to support Sir Keir.

But Health Secretary Wes Streeting, seen as a likely rival for the leadership, made no comment to reporters as he left Downing Street.

He is due to meet the prime minister ahead of the King’s Speech on Wednesday morning.

Foreign Secretary Jenny Chapman, another Starmer ally, acknowledged “there is an ongoing discussion” about the Prime Minister’s leadership, but told reporters no minister had challenged him at the Cabinet table.

-What’s the atmosphere like at the party?-

More than 80 Labor MPs have publicly urged Sir Keir to resign immediately or draw up an exit timetable.

Four ministers – Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh – resigned from the government.

Six ministerial aides resigned on Monday and have since been replaced.

Multiple sources told the BBC that further resignations are expected.

The BBC was also told that more than 100 Labor MPs have signed a statement saying: “Now is not the time for a leadership contest” and calling on colleagues to “focus” on work.

Along with Streeting, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is seen as Sir Keir’s most likely challenger among Labor MPs.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham also has support, but would need to become an MP to run for leader, which would require a more drawn-out contest.

-How did we get here?-

The prime minister gave a hastily called speech on Monday in a bid to strengthen his position.

But the move appears to have backfired, with the number of Labor MPs calling for him to go up in the hours that followed.

The riot among MPs follows a disastrous run of elections for Labor last week, where they lost almost 1,500 councilors in local elections across England.

He was also driven from power in Wales and collapsed to his worst ever result in the Scottish Parliament elections.

The election had been billed as a key test of Sir Keir’s leadership, amid dismal poll results and controversy over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, which led some MPs to question his judgement.

[BBC]

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