Amid Intense Pressure to Resign, UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, Weighs His Options
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is reportedly “weighing up his options” as several senior cabinet ministers have joined calls for him to resign.
Sky News reported that the cabinet is split on Starmer’s future, but at least four senior members have discussed his resignation.
Starmer is facing growing calls to resign mainly because of a deep rebellion within the governing Labour Party following poor local election results, falling approval ratings and anger over his leadership direction.
Critics accuse Starmer of failing to improve the UK economy quickly enough, mishandling immigration politics, and drifting ideologically in response to pressure from the right-wing Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage. His tougher rhetoric on migration and attempts to reset Labour’s agenda have also angered parts of his own base.
Both Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, are among at least four senior cabinet members who had private discussions with Starmer on Monday night suggesting he prepares a timeline for his resignation.
However, it is understood that other members, such as Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden have backed Starmer’s continued premiership. A meeting of the cabinet is due to take place on Tuesday morning, where the Prime Minister’s future may be decided.
It comes as the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) calling for his resignation has passed 70, including six cabinet-member aides.
As of 10pm, Scottish Labour MP for Glasgow South, Gordon McKee, and Tahir Ali, MP for Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley, had become the latest calling for Starmer to resign.
Several top aides to cabinet members, known as parliamentary private secretaries (PPS), have resigned from their voluntary roles in a bid to place pressure on the Prime Minister.
Six PPS’s have made public calls for Starmer to resign, with four explicitly confirming they are resigning. These include aides to potential leadership candidate Wes Streeting, and other senior ministers like Mahmood and Deputy PM David Lammy.
Number 10 has quickly confirmed the installation of six new ministerial aides to replace those who have spoken out. It is understood that a number of MPs who have made public calls against Starmer are supportive of a Streeting leadership bid.
He is reported as one of the main potential candidates, among former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
However, some reports indicate a silent majority of MPs and ministers who oppose the removal of Starmer. One cabinet minister told Sky News that there are concerns that the Labour Party “is about to put itself out of power for a serious period of time by repeating the mistakes of the Tories,” referring to a prolonged struggle for a permanent leader.