British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure within the Labour Party after as many as 70 members of parliament either called for him to resign or urged him to set out a timetable for his departure.
The growing unrest comes after a difficult set of election results for Labour across the UK, with senior figures questioning the party's direction under Starmer's leadership.
Starmer acknowledged that his government made mistakes but insisted it had “got the big political choices right.” He also vowed to prove “doubters” wrong as speculation over his future intensified.
According to The Times, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is among at least four ministers who have privately urged the prime minister to consider outlining a timeline for stepping down from Downing Street.
Damaging election setback
The pressure follows a series of damaging election setbacks for Labour.
In Wales, the party suffered a historic defeat in the Senedd elections, while in Scotland the Scottish National Party retained power for a fifth consecutive term in the Scottish Parliament.
The elections, held across Scotland, Wales and 136 English local authorities, were the largest electoral test since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election.
Far-right Reform UK also continued its recent rise, winning more than 1,450 council seats and building on gains made in local elections last year.
Starmer, 63, only came to power in July 2024 after a landslide election win that ended 14 years of Conservative party rule dominated by austerity measures, infighting over Brexit and its Covid response.
But he has swerved from one policy misstep to another, and became mired in a scandal over the appointment and sacking of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington, after revelations about the envoy's ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
