Four ministerial aides said they were resigning, believing that Starmer, 63, was not the man to lead Labour into the next national election, due in 2029, and hoping to trigger a leadership contest that could last weeks, if not months.<\/p>\n
\t Starmer swiftly announced new appointments to fill a number of vacant positions.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Starmer\u2019s attempt to convince his party and voters that he could be bolder in tackling the myriad of problems besetting Britain since he won a large majority in 2024 looked set to fail to win over the very people it was aimed at.<\/p>\n PM has lost authority, says ministerial aide<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear to me that the prime minister has lost authority not just within the parliamentary Labour Party but across the country and that he will not be able to regain it,\u201d said Tom Rutland, a ministerial aide to the environment minister, in his resignation letter.<\/p>\n Catherine West, a little-known former junior minister who broke cover at the weekend to threaten to seek a leadership contest if Starmer failed to offer radical change, told Reuters she had received 80 responses supporting her demand that the prime minister set out a timetable for his departure.<\/p>\n She called for a leadership election to happen in September.<\/p>\n The Times reported that Mahmood was one of at least three cabinet ministers to suggest that the prime minister needed to consider his position.<\/p>\n Downing Street officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the cabinet is due to meet on Tuesday morning. Two of Starmer\u2019s closest allies, Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Defense Secretary John Healey, entered the prime minister\u2019s Downing Street office late on Monday, according to Sky News.<\/p>\n Earlier, Starmer had tried to change the narrative about his premiership, arguing that he would now offer a \u201ccomplete break\u201d with the decision-making of the past that led to the \u201cstatus quo.\u201d<\/p>\n \t On any leadership bid, he said continuity was more important now with a global backdrop of conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.<\/p>\n Starmer promised to govern with the \u201chope\u201d and \u201curgency\u201d required to improve living standards and produce a \u201cstronger, fairer\u201d Britain to try to crush the challenge posed by the populist Reform UK party on the right, and the Greens from the left, before the next national election.<\/p>\n \u2018I will prove them wrong\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cOur response this time must be different, a complete break. We must make this country stronger and take control of our economic security,\u201d Starmer said earlier on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain. Frustrated by politics, and some people are frustrated with me,\u201d he said. \u201cI know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong. And I will,\u201d Starmer told an audience of party faithful, who offered him several standing ovations.<\/p>\n The applause was a long way from the messaging groups of Labour lawmakers, where talk about removing Starmer has stepped up a gear after the party lost hundreds of seats in elections to councils in England and the parliaments in Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n While there were few Labour lawmakers who were prepared to publicly endorse Starmer, the prime minister\u2019s closest allies again warned against removing a leader this early into his premiership, saying it would only further harm Britain.<\/p>\n \u201cChanging leader just leads to chaos. We saw what happened under the Tories. Let\u2019s learn from their mistakes, not repeat them,\u201d Reed said on social media, referring to the opposition Conservative Party.<\/p>\n But Reed seemed to be a lone voice. Earlier attempts to oust Starmer had been met with a resounding backing from most of his top cabinet team of ministers.<\/p>\n \t Angela Rayner, former deputy prime minister, seen as a potential challenger for the leadership after criticizing Starmer\u2019s operation on Sunday, told a union conference the government \u201cwill be judged on actions and not just our words.\u201d<\/p>\n Starmer has long said he would not leave his job voluntarily, and his team said the speech was a way of showing the often quietly spoken former lawyer was resolute in delivering not only for his party, but the wider country.<\/p>\n In it, he promised to build closer ties with Europe, to nationalize a key steel business, and to do more to help young people get into work.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to walk away,\u201d Starmer said.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tFrom left, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, CEO of the Judicial Office, Michelle Crotty, and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy attend a meeting of criminal justice agencies, in London, April 30, 2026. (Dan Kitwood\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26127248407874-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tBritain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and wife Victoria arrive at a polling station in central London, Thursday, May 7, 2026 to cast their votes in the local elections.(AP Photo\/Kirsty Wigglesworth)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26103299584468-e1778546682793-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tBritain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham meet with school children at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, north-west England, April 13, 2026. (Paul Ellis\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
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