British Prime Minister Kire Starmer will take to the floor today in an attempt to convince both Bretonians and his own party of his ability to stay in office after disastrous for Labour Party local elections.
After two years in office, this is not the first time Starmerhas faced crisis, but it may be the most serious so far as there is growing dissent among Britons and among Labour, who hold him responsible for the party’s defeat.
The British prime minister is due to deliver speech in which he intends to say that “incremental change is not enough to address the challenges facing the country”, according to extracts from his speech released by Downing Street.
Last Sunday, Starmer reiterated in an interview with The Observer his determination to remain in office to carry out “the task for which he was elected in July 2024.”
This is a crucial week for the British prime minister, as on Wednesday King Charles will make a speech to parliament in which he will set out the government’s plans for the new parliamentary term.
Today, Starmer will set out his priorities, including closer ties with the EU, for Britain to “strengthen economically, commercially and in defence”.
In local elections, Labour lost ground to Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK party, even in its strongholds in north England and Wales. At the same time, the Greens, who are further to the left of Labour, took votes away from the party in London.
Now Starmer is having to deal with insurgency within Labour, where a growing number of MPs are calling for his departure.
At the weekend, former minister and current Katherine West MP announced that if the ministerial council failed to agree on a replacement for Starmer, she would move to call an internal election to find a successor.
This looks virtually impossible: according to Labour Party rules,he needs the support of 81 MPs (20% of the parliamentary group). However, West’s statements reveal that some MPs are looking for ways to quickly find a replacement for the prime minister.
About 30 MPs have called for Starmer’s departure in the short to medium term in recent days, according to a count on the LabourList website.
“We’ve really taken a hit from the voters. However, I don’t think an internal election to change direction (…) is the right answer,” Bridget Phillipson, an ally of the prime minister, said yesterday.
“Rise to the occasion”
Since arriving in Downing Street in July 2024, Starmer has failed to really convince Britons, taking measures seen as anti-social, tightening immigration policy — something that disappointed Labour voters — and failing to turn around the economy, an issue he had made a priority.
In addition, he has faced the forced resignations of his government ministers and the scandal of the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States despite his close ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His performance on the international stage against US President Trump regarding the war in Iran or in relation to Ukraine have provoked positive reactionsinternationally, but they are not enough to offset the problems of domestic policy.
However, the absenceof an apparent successormay keep him on Downing Street for the time being.
In this difficult context for Labour, the potential successors that are emerging are not rushing to challenge Starmer, whether it’s former deputy prime minister Angela Rainer or health minister Wes Streting.
Another candidate, Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, Labour’s most popular figure according to the polls, cannot run for the moment as he is not an MP.
No one has publicly called for Starmer’s departure.
“The prime minister must now stand up to the challenge and set the change the country needs,” Reiner said in a post on X after the local election. “This is probably our last chance,” she insisted.
