Keir Starmer's grip on power is slipping after members of his top team, reportedly including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, privately urged him to make a graceful exit following disastrous local elections. However, Sir Keir told the Cabinet meeting this morning: 'The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered. The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.'
Miatta Fahnbulleh has joined the rebellion, becoming the first minister to quit and call for Sir Keir to go. Significantly, one of Sir Keir's closest allies, Darren Jones, said he would not 'get ahead of any decision' when asked whether the PM would lead the party into the next election.
Labour Infighting Sends Borrowing Costs to 28-Year High
Bitter Labour infighting has sent UK borrowing costs to a 28-year high, with traders taking fright at the prospect of a lurch to the Left, heaping pressure on the public finances. The Pound also weakened against the US dollar and euro, while the blue-chip FTSE 100 dropped. Just two years after coming to power boasting of a new era of stability, a Labour civil war is gearing up as the PM's grip falters in the wake of the local elections.
Factions are wrestling over the timetable for appointing a successor, with supporters of Blairite Wes Streeting believing a quick contest is his best chance of victory. But the Left wants to keep Sir Keir in place until September, so Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has a chance to become an MP again.
PM's Reset Speech Fails to Convince
Even Keir's reset button needed a reset, said Kemi Badenoch, as she branded the PM's last-ditch attempt to save his premiership as 'sad to watch'. The Tory leader said the Prime Minister had tried to restart his faltering Government so many times that 'even his reset button needs a reset'.
With Sir Keir Starmer facing mounting calls to resign, the chances of the Prime Minister leading his party into the next election appear to be approaching zero. Brits have shared hilarious memes making fun of the Labour PM as he fights for his political life.
In a separate development, Labour could force Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers to pay the TV licence fee to fund the BBC. Currently, people do not need a £180-a-year TV licence to watch on-demand shows on streaming services. The Government is said to be wary of funding the BBC with advertising or a new subscription fee because it would hurt ITV and Channel 4. Labour ministers are said to prefer a blanket approach, where the licence fee is expanded to cover streaming platforms.
