Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir Starmer to resign following Labour’s disastrous local election results, with more than 80 of his own MPs speaking out against him. The prime minister has vowed to stay on despite the calls, stating on Monday that he is “taking responsibility” for the results but also for “delivering the change that we promised for a stronger and fairer Britain.”
Bookmakers' Odds on Starmer's Resignation
Bookmakers have given Sir Keir unfavourable odds against the mounting pressure. The most popular offers put his odds of resigning this year at 1/6, rising to 6/1 for next year, 40/1 for 2028, and 20/1 for 2029 or later. A leadership contest could be triggered if at least 81 Labour MPs—20 per cent of the parliamentary party—unite behind a single challenger.
Potential Successors
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and health secretary Wes Streeting are seen as potential leadership contenders, though neither has made a move against the prime minister. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is also considered a candidate but is ineligible as he is not a sitting MP. Labour blocked his bid to become its candidate in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election, a move Rayner criticised, saying the party’s approach “isn’t working, and it needs to change.”
Odds for the next Labour leader place Burnham top at 9/4, followed by Streeting (7/2), Rayner (4/1), Ed Miliband (9/1), and Shabana Mahmood (18/1).
Growing Calls for Resignation
The list of Parliamentary Labour Party members calling for Sir Keir to resign or set a departure timetable has exceeded 80, including former transport secretary Louise Haigh, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and veteran MP Barry Gardiner. Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, claimed the prime minister “has never been an electoral asset” and told BBC Newsnight: “We need a new leader for the Labour Party and our country.”
