British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that he intends to remain in his role, despite a “destabilizing” 48 hours marked by growing calls for him to announce a timetable for his departure following a disappointing performance in the local elections.
During the meeting, Starmer, who has held the top position for less than two years, acknowledged that he takes responsibility for one of the Labour Party’s worst election defeats but emphasized that there has been no formal move to initiate a leadership contest.
“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader, and that process has not been triggered,” Starmer stated, according to his Downing Street office.
“The country expects us to focus on governing. That is what I am doing, and it is what we must do as a cabinet.”
A report from The Telegraph indicates that prior to the meeting, six ministers: Shabana Mahmood, John Healey, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy, Yvette Cooper, and Wes Streeting, were expected to call for Sir Keir’s resignation.
However, the Prime Minister reportedly did not allow the ministers to voice their objections and instead presented his case for remaining in office.
Starmer then spent the rest of the hour discussing policy issues and the impact of the Iran war, according to The Telegraph.
After the meeting, four senior ministers expressed their support for Starmer. Pensions Minister Pat McFadden told reporters that no one had challenged the Prime Minister during the cabinet meeting.
McFadden added there were “many statements of support for the job that he’s doing”.
Cabinet ministers come to Starmer’s defense
Other Cabinet ministers also expressed public support for Starmer in posts to X/Twitter on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary John Healey posted on X, stating, “More instability is not in Britain’s interest. Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic and security challenges.”
Following this, Housing Secretary Steve Reed told reporters outside the cabinet meeting, “The Prime Minister has my full support… We all intend to get on with our jobs, and that’s what I am going to do next.”
Growing calls for Starmer’s resignation
Starmer had sought to shore up his position on Monday following the election fallout when he promised in a speech to act more boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain’s many problems.
But almost immediately, his lawmakers started to publicly call for him to quit or signal that he would go, pushing borrowing costs higher.
British media reports indicate that several cabinet ministers, including Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper, personally advised Keir Starmer before the cabinet meeting that he should set a date for his departure.
In total, nearly 80 lawmakers from various ideological factions within the party have urged Starmer to announce a timeline for his resignation to initiate a leadership contest.
Reuters contributed to this report.
