Four UK ministers quit as Starmer resists calls to step down
Ministers including Jess Phillips resigned Tuesday amid Labour revolt over poor election results, but PM told cabinet he will remain in office.
1:43 PM
Four ministers resigned from the British government on Tuesday as internal pressure mounted on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to leave office following devastating results in local elections last week.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, Secretary of State for Decentralisation, Faith and Communities, became the first to resign. In her resignation letter, she urged Starmer to "do the right thing for the sake of the country and the party" and to establish "a timetable for an orderly transition."
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips followed hours later. In her letter to Starmer, Phillips wrote that she was "not seeing the change" the country expected and could not serve "under the current leadership." She acknowledged that Starmer was "a good man fundamentally" but said "that is not enough."
Welsh MP Alex Davies-Jones resigned next, citing losses in the Welsh parliament, once a Labour stronghold. A fourth junior minister also stepped down on Tuesday, according to reports.
The resignations came after two parliamentary assistants, Tom Rutland and Joe Morris, quit on Monday.
Starmer convened a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning to address the crisis. He told colleagues he would not discuss the election results and reiterated his intention to remain as prime minister. "I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised," he said, according to a government source.
Starmer acknowledged that the previous 48 hours had been "destabilising for government" and carried "a real economic cost for our country and for families." However, he stated that the country expected the government to continue governing. He noted that Labour has a formal process to challenge a leader's authority, requiring 81 MPs to trigger a leadership contest, and said that process had not been activated.
Several senior ministers rallied around the prime minister following the cabinet meeting, according to officials.
Dozens of Labour MPs have called for Starmer to resign following the poor election performance. However, more than 100 Labour MPs signed a statement saying "now is not the time for a leadership contest," offering support to the prime minister. The statement was organised by a group of MPs, many from the 2024 intake, and signatories said the number was growing.
On Monday, Starmer delivered a major speech in which he said he was "not walking away" from his position. He acknowledged "frustration" with his leadership but argued that his departure would plunge the United Kingdom into chaos.