Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from Labour backbenchers to resign or set a timetable for his departure, despite his insistence he will not quit following a set of bruising local election results. The discussion around his political future has drawn comparisons with Labour predecessor Sir Tony Blair’s exit from No 10. Crucially, however, there is no obvious successor to Sir Keir, unlike Gordon Brown’s clear path at the time.
Potential Successors and Their Challenges
Speculation is rife regarding the ambitions of his former deputy, Angela Rayner, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. Yet, Ms Rayner awaits the outcome of a review into her tax affairs, and Mr Burnham is not currently an MP. Former minister Catherine West set the deadline as she warned she was putting the cabinet “on notice” to “reorganise themselves”.
She told the BBC she currently has 10 people prepared to back her in a leadership bid, but is “confident” she can secure the 81 needed to trigger a contest. However, her move is intended to spur a potential leadership hopeful from the Cabinet into action.
How Would a Labour Leadership Contest Work?
There is no formal confidence vote procedure to oust a Labour leader. Any challenger to Sir Keir would instead require the support of 81 MPs – 20 per cent of the party in the Commons – to trigger a contest. Written nominations would need to be submitted to Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley.
In the case of a successful challenge, Sir Keir would be on the ballot by default as the incumbent and would not need to gather nominations. If Sir Keir were to resign, it would automatically start a contest for a new leader. It is up to the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee to set the timeline for a leadership election.
Latest Developments
Catherine West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet, who was sacked by Sir Keir as a junior minister in the Foreign Office, said the cabinet should “reorganise themselves” and put forward their “best communicator” to replace the PM, avoiding a contest. If that did not happen she would seek the 80 names needed to trigger a contest, she said.
The Guardian reported on Saturday evening that MPs from Labour’s left are expected to urge Ed Miliband to consider a leadership bid in the coming days. The newspaper says MPs would rather the energy secretary step in than hold out for Andy Burnham, who would need to wait for a by-election to mount a challenge. Angela Rayner does not have the necessary support, the MPs believe, according to the newspaper.
Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has “cautioned colleagues” against Catherine West’s demands. He told the BBC: “We’ve seen over the past 10 years now what happens when a party in government just starts chopping and changing leaders.” “It just generates instability and it militates against a focus on delivery.” “I'm confident going forward that Keir Starmer is the best prime minister for our country”, he added.
