Cabinet ministers have warned Labour MPs against attempting to oust Sir Keir Starmer following expected heavy losses in local elections, arguing that a leadership challenge would unleash chaos for the party. The prime minister is determined to remain in Downing Street after Thursday's vote, but the mood on the backbenches is febrile, with some MPs calling for a timetable for his departure.
Labour is forecast to lose more than 1,500 council seats across England, struggle for second place in Scotland, and risk losing its century-long dominance in Wales. These results have left local politicians angry, blaming the government's unpopularity for their losses. Speculation over Starmer's future has centred on potential successors including Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting, and Andy Burnham, though Burnham is not an MP.
Despite the pressure, cabinet ministers insist there is no organised plot to remove Starmer. One minister said: “We have a role to play and we’ll certainly not want chaos. That’s not in anybody’s interests.” Another added: “I don’t want new leaders, plots, pacts, talk of orderly transitions which shut out the public.” A third stressed that only Starmer would decide when to step down, noting he is “in no mood to be pushed around.”
However, some ministers acknowledge that events could spiral out of control. One warned: “When the mood is febrile things can kick off.” Another said that while a leadership contest three years before the next general election would be premature, Starmer’s poor personal brand may be “seldom retrievable.” Allies of Rayner and Streeting suggest they would only enter a contest triggered by someone else, while Ed Miliband is seen as more likely to act as kingmaker for Burnham than to run himself.
Downing Street has made clear that Starmer will fight any challenge, warning of instability during a time of conflict and economic difficulty. A reshuffle is considered unlikely unless ministers resign after the results. Writing in the Observer, Starmer urged the party to avoid “the politics of grievance and division” and instead rise to the moment with a national effort.
