Labour MP: Change cannot come soon enough
Minutes after Labour MP Catherine West said she would launch a leadership bid if a cabinet minister did not do so by Monday, yet another one of her colleagues publicly criticised the Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy took to social media to say “change cannot come soon enough”, after the party suffered devastating defeats across the country in local elections.
The Clapham & Brixton Hill MP said the results are a “disaster for our party on both a local and national level.
“The government’s current strategy is holding the door open for a Reform government and electoral oblivion in Labour heartlands up and down the country,” she wrote on X.
“Change cannot come soon enough”.
Athena Stavrou 9 May 2026 17:53
Watch: Labour MP calls for cabinet members to challenge Starmer’s leadershipLabour MP calls for cabinet members to challenge Starmer’s leadership
Harriette Boucher9 May 2026 17:34
The records broken in historic local elections that rocked Labour as Reform surges
This week’s local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales have delivered a seismic shift in the political landscape, shattering decades-long majorities for traditional parties and ushering in new forces.
The results mark a historic moment, with established power bases crumbling and new records set, particularly for Reform and the Green Party.
Labour, in particular, faced significant setbacks in its traditional heartlands. Councils in Gateshead, Sunderland, and Wakefield, which had been under continuous Labour control since their formation in 1973, saw Reform win enough seats to take full control.
You can read all of the records broken below:
Nicole Wootton-Cane9 May 2026 17:30
Croydon stays under no overall control
Croydon has remained under no overall control after both Labour and Conservatives failed to win the London borough.
Labour won 30 seats and Conservatives 27, both short of the 36 needed for a majority.
Labour came into the election with 34 seats and Conservatives on 33, but the Greens made gains and ended with eight, while two Reform UK and two Liberal Democrat candidates were elected.
Harriette Boucher9 May 2026 17:29
Who is Catherine West? The Labour MP trying to oust Starmer
Catherine West has just given cabinet ministers a two-day deadline to challenge the prime minister in a leadership contest.
If they fail to do so, the Labour MP says she will do it herself.
Earlier today, Ms West called for Keir Starmer’s resignation, saying “I firmly believe that Keir should outline his intention to resign as prime minister.”
(Labour Party)
Ms West has been the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet, previously Hornsey and Wood Green, since 2015.
She now sits as a member of the treasury select committee and is the UK’s trade envoy to Pakistan.
Formerly, she has held the roles of junior foreign office minister and held shadow minister roles for Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Americas, and Sport.
In 2022, she received the Patchwork Foundation’s MP of the Year award for her work with diverse communities underrepresented in public life.
She was also awarded Local Government Leader of the Year Award by her peers in 2012.
(PA)
Harriette Boucher9 May 2026 17:21
MP will challenge Starmer in leadership contest if cabinet minister fails to by Monday
A former minister has declared she will seek to challenge Sir Keir Starmer in a leadership contest if a cabinet minister does not do so by Monday.
Labour MP Catherine West set the deadline as she warned she was putting the cabinet “on notice” to “reorganise themselves”.
She told the BBC she currently has 10 people prepared to back her in a leadership bid, but is “confident” she can secure the 81 needed to trigger a contest.
“My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there’s plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role,” she said.
“Then for others to come to the fore who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss.”
Athena Stavrou9 May 2026 17:03
Breaking: Labour MP threatens to trigger leadership contest
Labour MP Catherine West has told cabinet ministers to challenge Keir Starmer as party leader by Monday, or she will attempt to trigger a leadership contest herself.
Harriette Boucher9 May 2026 17:00
Exclusive: Reform’s London mayor candidate criticises Farage’s ‘mass deportation’ election pitch
Speaking to The Independent Laila Cunningham, Reform’s candidate for London mayor, was critical of the way that talk of “mass deportations” played into the hands of her party’s opponents in the capital.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox has this exclusive:
Nicole Wootton-Cane9 May 2026 17:00
‘It’d be nice to get a clear out and start again’: Why have Bradford residents moved on from Labour?
Labour has just lost control of Bradford council after 12 years.
Earlier this month, The Independent’s Dan Haygarth spoke to residents about why they were thinking of moving on from Keir Starmer’s party.
Harriette Boucher9 May 2026 16:51
Watch: Starmer vows he won’t resign as Labour hit by ‘really tough’ local election resultsStarmer vows he won’t resign as Labour hit by ‘really tough’ local election results
Nicole Wootton-Cane9 May 2026 16:45