Seventy MPs now calling for Prime Minister to quit or set departure timetable after disastrous election losses
SIR Keir Starmer’s premiership was hanging by a thread on Monday night as a growing rebellion inside Labour threatened to spiral into a full leadership crisis just hours after his major “reset” speech.
The Prime Minister had attempted to relaunch his government with a high-stakes address in London following Labour’s disastrous election results across the UK.
But instead of calming unrest inside the party, pressure on Starmer intensified dramatically throughout the day.
By Monday evening, the BBC reported that 70 Labour MPs had now publicly called for Starmer either to resign immediately or set out a timetable for his departure.
The number rose steadily throughout the afternoon and evening following the speech, with several ministerial aides resigning from government positions and openly declaring they had lost confidence in the Prime Minister.
Leadership crisis deepens
Starmer used the speech to admit Labour had “made mistakes” and acknowledged that the election results had been “tough, very tough”.
He insisted he would not resign and pledged to fight any leadership challenge.
The Prime Minister said: “I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”
Asked directly whether he would stand aside, Starmer replied: “I’m not going to walk away.”
The speech had been billed as a make-or-break moment for his premiership, with growing numbers of Labour MPs openly questioning whether he could recover politically after the party’s heavy losses.
Instead, the situation appeared to worsen.
BBC political correspondents described the Prime Minister as being in a “very vulnerable” position, with some MPs now openly discussing whether his premiership is becoming unsustainable.
Government aides quit
The most damaging developments came later in the day as parliamentary private secretaries — junior government aides often seen as future ministers — began resigning.
Tom Rutland became the first government aide to quit, saying he no longer had faith in Starmer’s leadership and calling on the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for departure.
Joe Morris, parliamentary private secretary to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, also resigned, saying Starmer no longer had “the trust or confidence of the public”.
Naushabah Khan later resigned as parliamentary private secretary to the Cabinet Office while calling for “new leadership”.
Melanie Ward also quit her role as parliamentary private secretary to Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Several MPs warned privately that more resignations could follow if Starmer refuses to stand down.
The growing revolt now appears to span multiple factions within Labour, including MPs linked both to the left of the party and to senior figures on the party’s more centrist wing.
Three key pledges
Earlier in the day, Starmer had attempted to reset his leadership by announcing a series of major policy pledges.
The Prime Minister promised a closer relationship with Europe, saying the next EU summit would mark a “new direction for Britain” and place the country “at the heart of Europe” once again on trade, defence and economic cooperation.
He also announced plans for a major youth opportunity scheme allowing young people to work, study and live in Europe more easily.
Starmer pledged further investment in apprenticeships, technical colleges and special educational needs provision, alongside a guarantee that every young person struggling to find work would receive a job, training place or work placement.
The biggest announcement centred on steel.
Starmer confirmed legislation would be introduced this week to allow the government to take full ownership of British Steel, subject to a public interest test.
The move follows government intervention to protect the Scunthorpe steelworks after concerns over its Chinese owner Jingye.
Wales criticism grows
In Wales, however, the speech triggered immediate criticism.
Opponents accused Starmer of failing to address Welsh Labour’s historic collapse in last week’s Senedd election and pointed out that Wales was barely mentioned during the speech itself.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP accused Labour of becoming “out of touch” with Welsh communities.
He said the Prime Minister had failed to offer “the fresh thinking people are crying out for”.
The British Steel announcement also reignited anger over the handling of the Tata Steel crisis at Port Talbot.
Critics contrasted the move to potentially nationalise British Steel in Scunthorpe with the lack of full government intervention for Port Talbot workers and communities during the closure of the blast furnaces.
The issue is likely to become increasingly politically sensitive in Wales, particularly following Labour’s severe election losses.
Mounting danger
Despite the growing revolt, senior Labour figures continued rallying behind the Prime Minister on Monday evening.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the “quiet majority” of Labour MPs still supported Starmer and warned against creating a “revolving door of leaders”.
Labour chair Anna Turley also publicly backed the Prime Minister, saying she was “proud” of his leadership.
But BBC political editors reported that the pressure on Starmer was now intensifying by the hour.
Some MPs are believed to be pushing for a rapid leadership contest, while others are reportedly trying to buy time for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to return to Westminster and potentially contest the leadership.
Other names being discussed include Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
The Prime Minister insisted during the speech that Labour had to prevent Britain going down what he described as a “dark path” and warned against “division” and “grievance politics”.
But by Monday night, the biggest political battle appeared to be inside Labour itself.
For Starmer, the speech was meant to draw a line under Labour’s election disaster.
Instead, it may have accelerated the crisis threatening to end his premiership.
