Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after Labour’s devastating local election results, with dozens of lawmakers now calling for him to quit. He plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government’s fortunes.
The pressure sharpened on Sunday when Catherine West said she would try to trigger a leadership contest if she does not like what she hears, while Angela Rayner warned the party "needs to change" and said "the prime minister must now meet the moment and set out the change our country needs."
Last week’s losses in local elections across England and in legislative votes in Scotland and Wales were widely treated as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, who saw his popularity plunge after sweeping to power in a landslide less than two years ago. Labour also lost votes to both Reform UK and the Green Party, underscoring how quickly the coalition that carried it into office has frayed.
The timing is grim. Starmer’s government is expected to unveil an ambitious legislative program in King Charles III’s speech at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, giving him only a narrow window to steady a party that has been rattled by repeated missteps, policy U-turns and a faltering economic message. The prime minister has struggled to deliver the growth, public service repairs and cost-of-living relief he promised, and his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, described as a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to Washington only added to the damage.
There is also a split between the scale of the backlash and the list of people openly demanding his exit. None of Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting or Andy Burnham has called for Starmer to resign, but a growing number of Labour lawmakers want him to set out a timetable for departure. That leaves him under pressure from both critics who want him gone now and allies who are stopping short of saying so but are demanding a change in direction.
In an interview with The Observer on Sunday, Starmer said he wants to remain in office for a decade, and he has already begun to move closer to the sort of post-Brexit reset he says can help Britain’s economy. He told the newspaper, "Brexit has held back our young people" and "we have to be closer to Europe," while still ruling out rejoining the EU, the customs union or the single market. His government is seeking a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the continent and has already eased some trade restrictions that have burdened British businesses since Brexit.
The question now is whether Monday’s speech can stop Labour’s internal revolt from hardening into a leadership challenge. Starmer says he wants a decade in power; his party is deciding whether it will give him even a chance to argue for it.
