Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure to resign and allow Labour to choose a successor capable of winning the next general election, according to reports. The embattled Prime Minister has been in Downing Street for just two years, but his popularity has tanked amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and a series of policy blunders.
Starmer's Struggles and Calls for Resignation
Starmer can point to some successes, including boosting the minimum wage for workers, falling mortgage costs, reducing the number of people entering the UK illegally, and winning the respect of other European leaders at a time of global turbulence. He has also had to deal with the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the US President's erratic foreign policy, including the chaotic attacks on Iran which have caused further price hikes for consumers.
But critics of Starmer have repeatedly claimed he has failed to offer a coherent, positive vision for the UK and has consequently left the field open for populist leaders offering easy answers to a disillusioned general public. The return of Andy Burnham to the House of Commons following last week's Makerfield by-election victory means many Labour supporters now believe there is a ready-made replacement for Starmer.
Growing Backbench Rebellion
The number of Labour MPs calling for Starmer to go has topped 100 – just under a quarter of the party’s MPs – and includes some who signed a letter warning against a leadership contest just last month. Labour grandees have also spoken out, with former home secretary Alan Johnson saying Sir Keir should step aside and Lord Falconer saying he has “no authority” because it is assumed he will be replaced.
The Prime Minister is understood to be at Chequers with his wife, Lady Victoria, this weekend, with reports suggesting he could announce a timetable for his departure today.
External Pressure and Trump's Comments
Donald Trump has said Sir Keir Starmer will resign after issuing a social media post accusing the Prime Minister of failing on immigration and energy policy. The US president’s comments come as Sir Keir spends the weekend reflecting on whether to fight or step down amid mounting calls for him to set out a timetable. Trump appears to be drawing from media reports that the Prime Minister could quit on Monday before being replaced by newly-elected MP Andy Burnham.
The Daily Record first backed calls for Keir Starmer to resign in February. In an editorial column published after Labour was thrashed in the Gorton by-election, losing heavily to the Greens, we said the PM should do the honourable thing and walk away. The Record View stated: "If Starmer cannot win a suburban seat in Greater Manchester where Labour previously enjoyed a thumping majority, he cannot win anywhere."
The PM can complain all he likes about Reform and the Greens running populist campaigns which offer voters nothing but a bunch of easy answers. But many voters are looking for an alternative to Labour and the Tories – and both of these traditional left and right parties are in turmoil as a result.
