Three Labour ministers resigned on Tuesday, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down following disastrous local election results. Jess Phillips, Miatta Fahnbulleh, and Alex Davies-Jones all quit the government, bringing the total number of Labour MPs calling for Starmer's departure to over 80.
Phillips Cites Frustration with Stalled Progress
Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister and close ally of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, said in her resignation letter that she had grown tired of seeing "opportunities for progress stalled and delayed." She wrote: "I think you are a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things, however I have seen first-hand how that is not enough." Phillips highlighted a year-long delay in legislation to prevent children from taking naked images of themselves, calling it "incremental change" rather than bold action.
Fahnbulleh and Davies-Jones Follow Suit
Miatta Fahnbulleh, the communities minister and ally of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, was the first to resign, urging Starmer to "set a timetable for an orderly transition." She noted that voters on doorsteps had told her the prime minister had "lost the trust and the confidence of the public." Alex Davies-Jones, minister for victims and tackling violence against women and girls, described the electoral defeats as "catastrophic" and implored Starmer to "act in the country's interest and set out a timetable for your departure."
Starmer Vows to Continue Despite Pressure
Starmer told his cabinet earlier on Tuesday that he would fight on, insisting the threshold for a leadership challenge had not been met. Several ministers rallied around him publicly, including Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, who said the government should "carry on" with its business. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall affirmed her full support, stating: "This government will do what we were elected to do, which is serve the British people."
The Guardian understands that four senior cabinet ministers—Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Defence Secretary John Healey, and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy—spoke to Starmer on Monday. Some advised him to oversee an orderly transition, while others, including Richard Hermer and Steve Reed, urged him to fight on.
Chief Secretary Warns Rivals
Darren Jones, Starmer's chief secretary and a close ally, warned potential successors that the job of prime minister is "gruelling." He said: "Anybody who thinks that they can just walk into the job of prime minister and, like the second coming of the Messiah, fix all of our problems probably hasn't really thought carefully enough about how difficult it is." Jones confirmed that the king's speech would proceed as planned on Wednesday, adding that the government had been working hard on a programme of bills for the next session.
Some Labour MPs voiced public support for Starmer overnight. Neil Coyle said he was "horrified at the elephant trap colleagues are falling into," while Nick Smith argued that "a global security crisis and its economic impact on our country means we need political stability."
