A Labour mutiny is gathering pace after the party’s disaster local election results – with dozens of MPs mounting pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to resign.
The Prime Minister today vowed to stay in his role for another eight years, insisting he is at the beginning of a ’10-year-project of renewal’.
In a desperate bid to save his premiership he wheeled out Labour veterans Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman back into government yesterday.
Backbencher Catherine West threatened to launch a ‘stalking horse’ leadership bid in the morning unless the Cabinet acted – with No10 nervous anger is so great she could get the 81 nominations required to spark a vote.
It follows Labour’s loss of more than 1,100 English council seats this week as Reform and the Greens seized huge chunks of the party’s heartlands.
READ: EXCLUSIVE – Veteran MP’s withering verdict on ‘zombie’ Prime Minister
One of the Prime Minister’s own senior MP’s has launched a scathing attack on the premier – accusing him of ‘losing the plot’ over the threat to his leadership.
Manchester MP Graham Stringer told The Mail on Sunday: ‘If Keir ever had the plot, then he has lost it. It is a parody of the politics of 16 years ago.
‘Neither Harriet nor Gordon are able to solve an impossible problem – how to improve a very unpopular Prime Minister.’
You can read the full story by Glen Owen and Dan Hodges here:
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson insists Catherine West is ‘completely wrong’ to challenge Sir Keir
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has insisted Catherine West is ‘completely wrong’ to launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
Speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, she said she understood that many colleagues feel ‘sick’ about the ‘scale of defeat’ the party had suffered this week.
However, she added:
I’ve knocked on doors right across the country and in my own community, as colleagues will have done too and as party members will have done as well.
And what I heard was not a desire for a leadership contest, for of the Labour Party to spend more time talking amongst ourselves.
What I heard loud and clear from voters was their deep sense of frustration that they’d voted for change in 2024, they were hopeful that that change would be delivered and they don’t feel that we as a party or we as a Labour government have delivered what they wanted.
Where does Andy Burnham fit into this all?
Reform UK’s Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf has joked that Andy Burnham is now ‘scouring the election results’ to find a Labour safe seat to run in.
Supporters of the Greater Manchester mayor have urged backbencher Catherine West to put her Labour leadership bid plan on hold.
It comes as they envision a scramble to first find Mr Burnham a parliamentary seat so he can fight a by-election and come back to Westminster.
However, it is thought that Ms West remains unpersuaded.
Recap: Who were the winners and losers of the local elections?
Reform UK romped to victory in this week’s local elections with gains of more than 1,400 council seats across England.
Meanwhile Labour suffered historic defeats in Wales and Birmingham, with Nigel Farage having boasted both Labour and the Conservatives would face historic losses.
The Greens meanwhile heaped further misery onto Sir Keir’s party by taking the Hackney mayoralty and gaining more than 350 seats across England.
You can see the full results here:
The thing that’s on everyone’s minds…
Everyone is wondering whether Labour backbencher Catherine West will get the backing of the 81 MPs needed to force a leadership vote.
In a bombshell intervention last night, Ms West hatched a plan to oust the Prime Minister by putting herself forward as a ‘stalking horse’ candidate.
Running for the Labour Party leadership with little to no chance of winning, she hopes to test the waters for another, stronger challenger.
The plot has divided opinion within the party but Downing Street sources appear to be adamant Ms West won’t get the 81 signatories required to challenge Sir Keir.
Ms West revealed she will go public with a leadership coup on Monday if the Cabinet hasn’t moved against the Prime Minister by her deadline.
Who is Catherine West?
Ms West was first elected to parliament in 2015 as the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green
She was quickly promoted to the Labour front benches by Jeremy Corbyn andis a member of the left-wing socialist Fabian Society
Ms West was apppointed as the parliamentary under-secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, serving under David Lammy in 2024
She was born in Australia, is 59-years-old and a mother-of-two
READ: Clueless Starmer vows to be PM for another EIGHT YEARS
Sir Keir Starmer has made an astonishing new vow today in the aftermath of this week’s ‘disaster’ local elections.
The premier has assured everyone he will be leading the Labour party for another eight years.
You can read the full report by UK political editor James Tapsfield below.
Good morning and welcome to our live blog
Good morning on what promises to be an eventful Sunday.
Tune in as we follow all the latest developments around the Prime Minister’s premiership – after he was accused of ‘plunging the country into chaos’ with a series of nightmare local election results.
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Wolves circle around Starmer as fallout from Labour election ‘disaster’ continues: Live updates
