Starmer defiant as calls for his resignation grow, several ministers quit

LONDON: British PM Keir Starmer told members of his cabinet on Tuesday he had no intention of resigning as calls grew louder within his Labour Party for him to step down.

Starmer tried to shore up support within his cabinet following a febrile few days in the wake of hefty losses for the Labour Party in local elections last week, which, if repeated in a national election, would see it overwhelmingly ejected from office. Several junior ministers stepped down from their posts Tuesday, calling for a change in leadership, though no candidate had yet come forward to challenge Starmer directly. The resignations stoked speculation that Starmer could suffer the fate of Boris Johnson in 2022 when dozens of ministers quit en masse and forced him to quit.

Around 80 Labour lawmakers have now said Starmer should stand down or at least set out a timetable for his departure, but that's not enough to trigger a leadership contest. Under Labour's rules, a fifth of its lawmakers in the House of Commons, or 81 members, must publicly give their backing to a single candidate, and that hasn't happened yet.

On Tuesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister of housing, communities and local govt, became the first member of his govt to step down, urging Starmer "to do the right thing for the country" and set a timetable for his departure. She was followed by Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, whose resignation letter called Starmer a "good man fundamentally" but vented about his inability to make bold changes. "I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter," Phillips said. "I'm not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that's needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress."

The third to quit was British health department minister Zubir Ahmed. "It is clear to see that whatever the magnitude of individual achievements and progress, they are now being dwarfed and undermined by a lack of values-driven leadership at the centre," he said on X. "It is clear from recent days that the public across the UK has now irretrievably lost confidence in you as Prime Minister."

Despite winning a landslide election victory in July 2024, Labour's popularity has sunk, and Starmer is getting much of the blame. The reasons are varied, including a series of policy missteps, a perceived lack of vision, a struggling British economy and questions over his judgment - especially over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington despite the envoy's ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

At the start of the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Starmer said he took responsibility for the losses in last week's local elections across the UK but that he would fight on. "The country expects us to get on with governing," Starmer said.ap