A Kent MP has made the “difficult decision” to resign from a government role, saying the Prime Minister has “lost the confidence of the public”.
Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan (Lab) has announced she is stepping down from her position as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Cabinet Office following last week’s local election results.
Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan (Lab) has made the “difficult decision” to resign her role as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Cabinet Office
A PPS in the Cabinet Office is an assistant to a government minister, acting as a communication link between the minister and backbench MPs.
Ms Khan said: “The message from last week’s elections was clear: the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of the public.
“Since being elected to serve the people of Gillingham and Rainham, I have always and will always put the interests of my constituents and our country first.
“It is with that commitment in mind that I have taken the difficult decision to resign my role as PPS to the Cabinet Office.
“Our country faces unprecedented challenges. The people of Gillingham and Rainham and the country deserve leadership that can deliver on scale.
“I did not enter politics to stand by while we fail. We need a clear change of direction now and no game playing. A Labour Government can and will rise to meet the moment if we act now.
“I am calling for new leadership, so that we can rebuild trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.”
Ms Khan has been the Labour MP for Gillingham and Rainham since the General Election of July 4, 2024.
Gillingham and Rainham MP Naushabah Khan (Lab) says the Prime Minister has “lost the confidence of the public”
She beat the incumbent Conservative Rehman Chishti, who had held the seat for 14 years.
She also represented the Gillingham South area on Medway Council from May 2015 until December 2024. She was appointed PPS in September.
More than 70 Labour MPs have called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign after the party’s disastrous local election results.
Deal and Dover MP Mike Tapp backed the Prime Minister in a statement this evening.
He said: “The country needs stability, not another revolving door of leaders.
“Our immigration system, our national defence, and our economy all depend on serious, consistent government.
“Keir Starmer was elected to deliver change, and that work must continue.
“At a time of global inconsistency, the responsible thing to do is unite behind the Prime Minister and focusing on delivering for Britain.
“I’ll end by saying this: I spent my career studying and understanding the enemy, and I have continued doing so in politics. I can say with complete certainty that our opposition is loving this. Don’t give them another second of it.”
The Prime Minister sought to face down critics today with a promise to prove his doubters wrong, as a former minister withdrew threats to imminently launch a leadership challenge.
But his speech failed to quell demands that he quit or set out a timetable for his departure from discontented backbenchers, who numbered 51 by this evening.
Catherine West had previously said she would challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership as early as this afternoon, in an attempt to force the Cabinet to put forward a replacement as Prime Minister.
But after a speech in which Sir Keir said he would not “walk away”, the former Foreign Office minister said she would now canvass support within the party for the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his resignation by September.
In a speech in central London today, Sir Keir said he took “responsibility” for the losses but would fight on. Picture: Leon Neal/PA Wire
Speaking to the Press Association, she added that she thought Sir Keir’s speech had been “heartfelt”, but it did not “change the mathematics of how many seats we lost on Thursday”.
Speculation about the Prime Minister’s future has intensified since Thursday’s elections, in which Labour lost almost 1,500 English councillors, went backwards in Scotland and slumped to third in Wales.
On top of the 51 MPs already calling for Sir Keir to go, others have suggested they could do so if he does not change course rapidly.
In a speech in central London today, Sir Keir said he took “responsibility” for the losses but would fight on.
“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I’ve got some doubters, including in my own party,” he said.
“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I have to prove them wrong, and I will.”