British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid down the gauntlet to challengers on Tuesday (12 May), as he defied calls to resign at a meeting of Cabinet, telling ministers that there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest.
"The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered," Starmer told his Cabinet, according to his Downing Street office.
"The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet,” he added.
Leaving the Cabinet meeting, four senior ministers voiced their support for Starmer, including Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.
She told reporters outside Downing Street that the Prime Minister had her “full support.”
Starmer, who has been in the top job for less than two years, has faced growing calls to quit since his Labour Party were heavily defeated in English local elections and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments last week.
By mid-Tuesday afternoon, 89 Labour MPs had publicly called for Starmer to step down, including the first minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who resigned as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, minutes before Starmer’s Cabinet meeting began
Under Labour party rules, a leadership challenger needs the backing of 20% of Labour MPs, 81 members as of May 2026, to trigger an official leadership contest.
However at present it remains unlikely that there is a single candidate that MPs who have resigned would back, as they are from various ideological wings of the party.
Several allies of Streeting, who is considered to be on the right of the party, have already resigned, including Joe Morris, a ministerial aide to the Health Secretary.
By Tuesday afternoon, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, an ally of Streeting, had also resigned from the government.
In her resignation letter, she criticised Starmer for "rarely" making an argument, which she said left opportunities "stalled and delayed."
Alex Davies-Jones became the third minister to quit shortly after Philipps. A few hours later, Zubir Ahmed, a Health minister, became the fourth minister to resign.
"It is clear from recent days, that the public across the UK has now irretrievably lost confidence in you as Prime Minister," he wrote in his resignation letter to Starmer.
Possible challengers from the soft left such as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner face obstacles to running.
Burnham is currently not an MP in Westminster and would have to first find another Labour minister willing to stand aside and then win a by-election before he could stand.
Rayner, meanwhile, faces an ongoing investigation by the UK’s tax department into her tax affairs, although she denies any intentional wrongdoing.
Starmer had sought to shore up his position on Monday when he promised to act more boldly and with extra urgency to tackle problems facing Britain.
In the speech, he said the country would never forgive the Labour Party if it embarked on a leadership challenge, when it had promised to bring an end to political chaos in the country which has had six Prime Ministers in the last decade.
British police are facing a national backlash over their handling of the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed while d...
China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, has met Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, in Islamabad to di...
International organisations, investors, environmental experts and business representatives gathered in Samarkand for the opening of Eco Expo Central A...
China is sending doctors, medical teams and emergency supplies to help combat a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, joining an international eff...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Yerevan remains committed to normalising relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, expressing confidenc...
British police are facing a national backlash over their handling of the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed while dying from stab wounds after his attacker falsely claimed to be the victim of a racist assault.
China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, has met Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, in Islamabad to discuss the China-facilitated Urumqi Process and regional security concerns.
International organisations, investors, environmental experts and business representatives gathered in Samarkand for the opening of Eco Expo Central Asia 2026, one of the region's largest environmental events focused on green growth, climate resilience and sustainable development.
China is sending doctors, medical teams and emergency supplies to help combat a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, joining an international effort to contain the disease before it spreads further.
Okinawa lost transport links and suffered widespread power outages on Monday (1 June) as Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought destructive winds and heavy rain to Japan's south-western islands.
Competing narratives continue to shape perceptions of the war in Ukraine, with Russian leadership suggesting a possible end phase while Ukrainian officials warn of renewed large-scale attacks and ongoing escalation risks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
When Armenians vote on 7 June, they will be voting in an election shaped by months of political change and a rapidly deepening relationship with the European Union. The result may not only determine who governs Armenia but also the future direction of the country's geopolitical alignment.
Unsealed records from the U.S. Department of Justice have renewed scrutiny of lawyer Robert Amsterdam after documents revealed communications between his law firm and Jeffrey Epstein's office. The disclosures have drawn attention because of Amsterdam's prominent role in Armenia.
British police are facing a national backlash over their handling of the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed while dying from stab wounds after his attacker falsely claimed to be the victim of a racist assault.
China is sending doctors, medical teams and emergency supplies to help combat a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, joining an international effort to contain the disease before it spreads further.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they struck a cargo ship owned by the “American-Zionist enemy” with a cruise missile after an Iranian freighter was attacked in the Sea of Oman.
Dutch police have launched an investigation into the use of force against a pregnant woman at an asylum seekers' centre in Zeist after videos of the incident circulated widely on social media.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Monday that his government would begin legal proceedings to remove President Tamás Sulyok if he continues to reject calls to resign.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment