Main Points
- British prime minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer faces his cabinet this morning as he fights to remain in his role
- Upwards of 70 of the 403 Labour MPs have called on him to resign or set out a timeline for departure
- Under Labour Party rules, a leadership challenger requires support from 20 per cent of Labour MPs (81)
- Several cabinet members were also understood to have called for him to set out a timetable for his departure
- The Guardian is reporting that two ministers – foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and home secretary Shabana Mahmood told the prime minister last night he should oversee an orderly transition of power
- Starmer has been under huge pressure following his party’s dire performance in elections last week
- Several backbench allies of British health secretary and leadership hopeful Wes Streeting called on Starmer to step down
Key Reads
Jade Wilson – 0 minutes ago
Miatta Fahnbulleh becomes first minister to resign
Calling for Starmer’s resignation, Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister for devolution, faith and communities, has become the first minister to resign.
She has posted on social media urging Starmer to “do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition”.
Jade Wilson – 24 minutes ago
An “orderly” or “swift transition”? MPs’ language reveals all
Mark Paul, our London Correspondent, writes:
A rough way to distinguish between MPs who may be supporters of Andy Burnham and those of Wes Streeting is to watch the language they use when calling for Starmer to go.
The first cohort of MPs over the weekend calling on the UK prime minister to step aside all used similar versions of the same, coordinated wording, such as the need for an “orderly transition of power”.
Louise Haigh was one such MP last Friday. This “orderly” language indicated their preference for a later leadership contest to give their candidate time to return to parliament as MP.
Streeting’s outriders and acolytes were more prominent later on Monday, usually calling for a “swift timetable” for Starmer to quit.
Chris Curtis, who broke ranks to ask Starmer to go on Monday afternoon, used this exact wording – he is one of Streeting’s closest allies.
The “Swifites” want a fast contest that would potentially be held before Burnham was eligible to take part, favouring Streeting.
Jade Wilson – 29 minutes ago
If Starmer doesn’t resign, how would a challenge work?
Labour has strict rules governing the removal of a party leader and the system requires lawmakers to coalesce around specific candidates rather than just express “no confidence” in their current leader.
At the moment, most of those against Starmer have called for him to set out a timetable for his own departure – effectively asking him to resign without needing to be forced out.
So, if he doesn’t resign, how would a challenge work?
Any candidate wishing to make a challenge would need to secure the support of 20 per cent of Labour members of parliament.
With Labour currently holding 403 seats, that equates to 81 backers. Candidates also must meet thresholds for support from grassroots Labour Party organisations, and from affiliated organisations such as trade unions.
Starmer would have an automatic right to be on the ballot paper, if he chose to fight the contest. If only one candidate qualifies, there is no vote: the candidate is elected unopposed as Labour leader and becomes prime minister.
If more than one candidate qualifies, the winner is decided by a ballot of all Labour Party members and affiliates. The winner would then become prime minister. – Reuters
Jade Wilson – 37 minutes ago
The cabinet meeting is due to begin shortly.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has arrived to Downing Street by car and did not respond to questions from reporters as she entered the building.
Reeves’ fate is closely tied to Starmer’s and a new leader would almost certainly replace her as chancellor.
Media wait outside Number 10 Downing Street ahead of a cabinet meeting in central London. Photograph: Brook Mitchell / AFP via Getty Images Starmer is “listening to colleagues”, chief secretary says
Starmer is “listening to colleagues” his chief secretary, Darren Jones, has said. Speaking on Times Radio, Jones said: “He’s listening to colleagues and he’s talking to colleagues. I can’t get ahead of any decision he might take”.
He did not rule out the prime minister announcing a resignation timetable.
In an interview with Sky News, he took the same line. Asked if he had spoken to Starmer, Jones said he “spoke to the prime minister last night, as you would expect, and he is talking to colleagues who have raised issues yesterday”.
“But he was also very clear, as I’m sure all of my colleagues are, that coming into the office this morning, as we all are doing, we’re absolutely focused on our jobs, on delivering the things that we’ve promised to deliver for the public”.
Asked if Starmer was considering setting out a timetable for his resignation, Jones said colleagues were “asking the prime minister to consider different options in the future. And, as I say, he rightfully is listening to them”.
Cabinet meeting this morning at 9am as Starmer clings on
The cabinet is meeting this morning, at 9am or soon after.
Yesterday, Starmer said he would fight any bid to force him out, and still wanted to lead Labour into a battle “for Britain’s soul” with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, as he insisted he would also fight any leadership challengers.
He said voters would never forgive Labour if the party turned inwards on itself to focus on a leadership contest in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
Meanwhile, The Guardian is reporting that two senior cabinet ministers – Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary – told the prime minister he should oversee an orderly transition of power.
At least two others – believed to be John Healey and David Lammy – discussed with Starmer how they should take a “responsible, dignified, orderly” approach to what might follow, The Guardian reported.
Upwards of 70 Labour MPs call for Starmer to step down
Keir Starmer’s job as UK prime minister appeared to be slipping away from him on Monday night as upwards of 70 of his own Labour MPs called on him to step down or set out a timeline for departure.
Several cabinet members were understood to have called for him to set out a timetable for his departure.
Our London Correspondent, Mark Paul, has the full story here.