Three Government aides have resigned as they joined scores of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir Starmer to stand down following a disastrous set of local election results.
Joe Morris, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urged the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure as they quit on Monday.
Cabinet Office PPS Naushabah Khan resigned calling for “new leadership” while Sally Jameson, a PPS to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, has also joined around 60 Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to resign.
In a statement on X, Mr Morris said: “I have boundless confidence in the Labour Party and our ability to rise to this moment. However, regrettably, it is now clear that the Prime Minister no longer has the trust or confidence of the public to lead this change.”
Mr Rutland said the Prime Minister had “lost authority” within the Parliamentary Labour Party and across the country, and “will not be able to regain it”.
“Time and time again, speaking with voters at their doors, I heard little dislike for local councillors nor for the Labour Party, but the animosity towards the Prime Minister was clear from every voter who was choosing to vote for another party or considering doing so,” he said.
Ms Khan said: “I am calling for new leadership so that we can rebuild trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.”
