Britain's Starmer faces a crucial cabinet meeting as calls grow for him to quit
Listen to this article
Average 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with his senior ministers on Tuesday for talks where he may be forced to reschedule his departure after a heavy defeat for the ruling Labor Party.
Starmer, who has been in office for less than two years, vowed on Monday to stay the course, saying defeating calls for him to leave would bring the kind of chaos that has gripped Britain since the country voted for Brexit in 2016.
But his request to get another chance fell on deaf ears and almost 80 members of the law came out and asked him to set a date for his resignation so that the party can install a new leader in an orderly manner.
British media reports also said several cabinet ministers, including Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood, told Starmer he should consider complying with those demands.
The cabinet was supposed to meet at 9:30 am local time.
Borrowing costs rose and fell against the dollar as Britain began to destabilize politically. If Starmer were to leave in the coming weeks, he would be replaced by Britain's seventh prime minister in 10 years.
The star who 'listens to his colleagues'
Senior minister and Starmer ally Darren Jones told Times Radio on Tuesday that Starmer, facing a growing rebellion in his party, had been consulting with his colleagues.
“He listens to his teammates, and he talks to his teammates. I can't get ahead of any decision he may or may not make,” Jones said.
He later appeared to backtrack, repeating Starmer's promise on Monday that the prime minister would not go.
Starmer sought to strengthen his position on Monday when he pledged to act boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain's many problems.
He said the country will never forgive the Labor Party if it joins the leadership challenge, after two years its majority in parliament should have ended the political chaos that has plagued the country since Britain voted to leave the European Union 10 years ago.
But almost immediately his lawmakers began publicly calling for him to quit or set a date for his departure. By Monday evening, four assistant ministers had resigned, saying that Starmer no longer had the authority to lead the country.
It is often harder for Labor MPs to oust a prime minister than the opposition Conservative Party, which went through five prime ministers in eight years after 2016. Labor lawmakers should support certain people, rather than simply declaring “no confidence” in the leader.
Removing Starmer now – or forcing him to set a departure date – would favor health minister Wes Streeting, who comes from the right of the party and is seen as a better spokesman than Starmer.
Other potential challengers, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are barred from running. Burnham does not have the parliamentary seat he needs to mount a challenge and Rayner has yet to fully resolve the tax issues that led to his resignation last year.
