Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir Starmer to resign following Labour’s disastrous local election results as more than 80 of his own MPs speak out against him.
The prime minister has vowed to stay on in his post despite the calls, saying in a speech on Monday that he is “taking responsibility” for the results, but added: “I also take responsibility for delivering the change that we promised for a stronger and fairer Britain that we must build.”
But the Labour leader could still face a leadership contest if at least 81 of the party’s MPs – 20 per cent of its parliamentary members – get behind a single challenger to go against him.
Bookmakers have given Sir Keir unfavourable odds against the mounting pressure, with the most popular offers putting his odds of resigning this year at 1/6.
This rises to 6/1 for him to resign next year, 40/1 for him to resign in 2028 and 20/1 for him to go 2029 or later.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and health secretary Wes Streeting are both seen as potential leadership contenders, although both are yet to make a move against the prime minister.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is also seen as candidate, although is ineligible to run as he is not a sitting MP. The Labour party prevented him from becoming its candidate in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
On Sunday, Ms Rayner said that Labour’s approach “isn’t working, and it needs to change”, adding that the party should not have blocked Mr Burnham from attempting to become an MP.
The odds for the next Labour leader nonetheless put Mr Burnham top at 9/4. He is followed by Mr Streeting (7/2), Ms Rayner (4/1), Ed Miliband (9/1), and Shabana Mahmood (18/1).
The list of Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) members calling on Sir Keir to resign or set out a timetable for his departure continues to grow, rising to more than 80 by Tuesday morning.
Among them are former transport secretary Louise Haigh, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and veteran MP Barry Gardiner.
Signalling for Sir Keir to resign, Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, claimed that the prime minister “has never been an electoral asset.”
He told BBC Newsnight: “I think he’s in it for the right reasons. I know his team worked incredibly hard, like we all did, to get us here, but we have to face the facts now.
“We need a new leader for the Labour Party and our country, most importantly, needs a new leader.”
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