Keir Starmer to face crucial cabinet meeting as ministers and MPs urge him to resign
Good morning. “Stories beat spreadsheets,” Keir Starmer declared in his speech yesterday. However, yesterday was a day when the spreadsheets dominated. Most news organisations used them to track Labour MPs calling for Starmer’s resignation, and after his morning speech, the numbers began to rise. By the end of last night, they had reached 77.
The composition of those calling for his resignation also shifted. Initially, it was mainly left-wingers, with Andy Burnham supporters emphasizing the need for a timetable for an orderly transition—meaning a slow process allowing Burnham to win a by-election before a leadership contest. But by the afternoon, government loyalists and some prominent Wes Streeting supporters began speaking out. By early evening, parliamentary private secretaries, who are technically on the government payroll, were also joining the calls.
Now, some cabinet ministers have privately told Starmer that he needs to step down. Our overnight report by Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot provides details.
understands that two senior cabinet ministers – Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary – told the prime minister he should oversee an orderly transition of power after crushing election defeats risked ringing the death knell on his premiership.
At least two others, believed to be John Healey and David Lammy, discussed with Starmer how to take a “responsible, dignified, orderly” approach to what might follow. Several others, including Richard Hermer and Steve Reed, were defiant and urged him to continue fighting.
The cabinet is scheduled to meet this morning at 9am or shortly thereafter. Starmer stated yesterday that he would resist any attempt to force him out, and some allies are encouraging him to remain. Nevertheless, his position appears precarious; it is possible that he may announce plans to resign before the day concludes.
We will focus on this development throughout the day, although other political matters may also receive attention.
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