British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure from within his own Labor Party after more than 60 MPs reportedly urged him to step down following devastating losses in local and regional elections.
Several junior government aides resigned on Monday (May 11), publicly questioning Starmer’s ability to continue leading the party.
Joe Morris, who served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, wrote on X that “it is now clear that the Prime Minister no longer has the confidence or trust of the public to lead this change”.
Tom Rutland, an adviser to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, told Starmer
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he had “lost authority” among Labor lawmakers and would not be able to recover politically.
Melanie Ward, assistant to Foreign Minister David Lammy, also called for a change in leadership.
“The message from last week’s election was clear, the Prime Minister has lost public trust to lead this change,” she wrote.
Naushabah Khan, another Labor adviser who resigned on Monday, said: “I am calling for new leadership so that we can restore trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.”
MP Catherine West said she is now getting support from Labor MPs who are calling on Keir Starmer to set a timetable for a leadership election in September.
Starmer vows to prove critics wrong
Starmer vowed to prove his critics wrong as a growing number of lawmakers in his own Labor party called for him to step down after devastating losses in local and regional elections.
Speaking in London during a major political rally aimed at reviving confidence in his leadership, Starmer acknowledged growing discontent among voters and party members.
“I know I have my doubters and I know I have to prove them wrong and I will,” Starmer said.
The Labor leader promised to tackle Britain’s major economic and political challenges head-on, arguing his government needed to deliver a “bigger response” rather than “incremental change”.
Overwhelming election losses trigger a political crisis
The internal revolt followed last week’s disastrous election results for Labor in England, Scotland and Wales.
Labor lost significant support from both Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party and the left-wing Green Party.
The party also lost control of the Welsh Parliament to Plaid Cymru for the first time since the devolved institution was established in 1999.
In Scotland, Labor failed to regain ground against the Scottish National Party.
The results were widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer’s leadership less than two years after Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
Starmer blames Brexit and attacks Nigel Farage
During his speech, Starmer argued that Britain was facing a defining political moment and warned voters against turning to Reform UK.
“Nigel Farage is a downer and a fraud,” Starmer said, accusing the Brexit veteran of taking Britain “for a ride”.
“If we don’t get it right, our country is going down a very dark path,” he warned.
Starmer also delivered one of his strongest criticisms of Brexit yet, saying Britain’s departure from the European Union had left the country “poorer, weaker and less safe”.
He pledged to restore closer economic and security ties with Europe while ruling out rejoining the EU, customs union or single market.
Economic struggles and scandals weaken the government
Since taking office, Starmer’s government has been trying to improve economic growth, reduce the cost of living or fix overburdened public services.
His administration also faced criticism for policy changes and welfare reforms.
Another major controversy involved the appointment – and later removal – of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington following an investigation into Mandelson’s past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Although Starmer has earned praise internationally for resisting pressure from US President Donald Trump on Iran policy, domestic frustration continues to grow.
Leadership speculation within Labor is intensifying
Speculation is rife about who could replace Starmer if pressure within the party continues to escalate.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are widely seen as potential leadership candidates.
Rayner stopped short of calling directly for Starmer to resign, but admitted during a separate speech on Monday that Labour’s current strategy was failing.
“What we’re doing is not working and it needs to change,” she said.
Under Labor Party rules, a challenger would need the support of at least 81 Labor MPs to formally trigger a leadership contest.
