Top News

Sir Keir Starmer faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership following the devastating Labour losses in last week's local elections, along with elections in Scotland and Wales. Now Cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have urged the Prime Minister to consider his position with Government aides even quitting their posts.

Some 72 Labour MPs have so far called for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his resignation,but loyalists are urging Sir Keir not to quit. At the time of writing, this includes Housing Secretary Steve Reed as well as Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.

Mr Reed told the BBC on Monday (May 11) that he stands "four-square" behind Sir Keir. He wrote on X: "Changing leader just leads to chaos. We saw what happened under the Tories. Let's learn from their mistakes, not repeat them."

Mr McFadden has insisted that Sir Keir was in a "resolute" mood and triggering a leadership contest would be a mistake.

He was speaking before Sir Keir tried yet another reset in a bid to prop up his premiership after Labour's bruising in the local elections. The PM vowed to prove his doubters wrong and carry on in office.

His speech triggered an avalanche of Labour backbenchers publicly calling for Sir Keir to go, including a number of junior ministerial aides who resigned as they did so.

Ms Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have reportedly told Sir Keir they want him to set out a timetable for his exit from No 10.

Sky News reported on Monday night that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Reynolds have been by Sir Keir's side in Downing Street.

Darren Jones, one of Sir Keir's closest aides, declined to say on Tuesday (May 12) whether Sir Keir would lead his party into the next election.

The Chief Secretary to the PM, said Sir Keir was "getting on with the job of being Prime Minister" despite reports senior ministers had privately urged him to set out a timetable for his departure.

80 MPs have signed a letter from former minister Catherine West urging Sir Keir to take this step.

Asked whether Sir Keir would lead Labour into the next election, Mr Jones told Sky News: "I'm not going to get ahead of any decision the PM may or may not take."

Defence Secretary John Healey said after Labour's local election disaster that the party "should not turn inward" and it can work its way back if it acts more boldly.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said last Thursday said the same, arguing: "Keir has won before, he can win again". She added: "We need to deliver change, not chaos."

Since the local elections, Sir Keir has also been backed by Business Secretary Peter Kyle, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.

In a sign Sir Keir may be planning to dig in, Downing Street announced the appointment of six new ministerial aides on Monday night to replace those who resigned.

It came after Joe Morris, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, Cabinet Office aide Naushabah Khan and Melanie Ward, a PPS to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, all quit on Monday evening.

Department for Work and Pensions aide Gordon McKee and Ms Mahmood's PPS Sally Jameson also left their posts having expressed a loss of confidence in the Prime Minister.