Many Labour MPs believe Keir Starmer will not survive as leader long enough to fight the next election, but there is no consensus on how his departure might occur, even after poor local election results. The Labour rulebook makes it notoriously difficult to unseat a party leader; none has been formally ejected in the postwar period, though some, like Tony Blair, resigned under pressure from their own MPs.
A curveball was thrown on Saturday when backbencher Catherine West launched a leadership challenge. West, MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former junior Foreign Office minister, announced she would challenge Starmer unless a cabinet minister came forward by Monday morning.
If Labour does want to oust Starmer, there are several possible routes. One is a formal leadership challenge under party rules, requiring nominations from 20% of Labour MPs and MEPs. Another is pressure from the parliamentary party, leading to a vote of no confidence. A third is a resignation under duress, as seen with previous leaders. Finally, a change in party rules could lower the threshold for a challenge.
