LIVE: Second minister quits over Keir Starmer’s leadership

Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Prime Minister, took to X to reiterate his support for Sir Keir Starmer after Cabinet, saying ‘serious times call for serious leadership’.

He wrote:

Just out of Cabinet and then the Middle East Response Committee. The impact of the conflict in Iran will be felt here at home at a time when we know the cost of living has been difficult for many.

This Labour Government is working hard to protect families and businesses from the economic shocks as much as we can.

Serious times call for serious leadership, which is exactly what the Prime Minister is providing.

Jess Phillips said ‘deeds, not words are what matter’, adding she felt she cannot serve under the Prime Minister.

Her letter, reported by Sky News, continued:

Labour governments come around rarely is the constant refrain at the moment. It’s true they are precious. Every Labour government in my and my family’s lifetime has forged progress that changed our country and the world for the better.

I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter. I’m not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that’s needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress.

Decency is vital, calm curiosity is also needed, but so too are fight and drive required. Have a row, push back, make arguments, bring people along. Standing up and being counted can’t always be workshopped. Politics is as much about feelings as policy, especially at the moment.

I want a Labour government to work and I will strive as I always have for its success and popularity, but I’m not seeing the change I think I, and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has resigned from the Government over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Ms Phillips becomes the second minister to quit after Miatta Fahnbulleh earlier today.

Keir Starmer refused to speak to Wes Street after this morning’s cabinet meeting, it is being reported.

According to Sky News, the Health Secretary attempted to speak to Sir Keir in Downing Street but was rebuffed.

Earlier we reported Starmer told ministers he would not discuss his leadership and would only speak to them individually.

Sir Keir Starmer is defying mounting calls for him to quit, telling his Cabinet that the country ‘expects us to get on with governing’ and ‘that is what I am doing’.

The Prime Minister’s woes deepened today as the first minister resigned from his Government urging him to go, and as the number of Labour MPs telling him to set out a timetable for his departure grew to 75.

In a speech yesterday meant to set out Labour’s response to last week’s disastrous local election results, Sir Keir said he would prove his doubters wrong as he vowed to carry on in office.

But the speech triggered an avalanche of Labour backbenchers publicly calling for Sir Keir to go, including a number of junior ministerial aides who resigned to do so.

One of a series of Labour politicians could take over in the event of a leadership contest – including Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner or Ed Miliband.

But do you think Britain would be a better place under a different Labour leader? Vote in the Daily Mail’s latest poll:

Keir Starmer brushed aside resignation demands today at a toe-curling Cabinet meeting.

The PM’s grip on power is slipping after members of his top team – said to include Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood – privately urged him to make a graceful exit in the wake of disastrous local elections.

But Sir Keir effectively dared his rivals to move against him this morning, telling the gathering in No10: ‘The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.

According to one Government source: ‘Keir said in Cabinet that he won’t discuss the elections or his leadership, and that he will only speak to cabinet ministers about that individually. Then after the meeting he refused to see Cabinet ministers individually.’

Andy Burnham is one of the frontrunners to replace Sir Keir Starmer if he resigns as Prime Minister.

The Manchester Mayor has previously indicated he would be willing to overthrow the current Labour leader.

As the current Mayor of Manchester, who does not have a seat in Parliament, the route to the top could be strewn with hurdles for Mr Burnham.

Let’s take a look at what steps he would have to take before becoming the UK’s next prime minister.

• Vacant seat

Firstly, a vacant parliamentary seat would need to be available and finding one may not be an easy task.

There are two by-elections coming up in Scotland, after both SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South) and SNP MP Stephen Gethins (Arbroath and Broughty Ferry) were elected to Holyrood.

Mr Burnham is unlikely to stand in either of these Scottish seats.

• Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee

If a seat were to become vacant, Mr Burnham would need to win over the National Executive Committee (NEC), who is responsible for choosing Labour’s candidates.

In January this year the NEC blocked Mr Burnham from running in Gorton and Denton.

A 10-strong group, including the Prime Minister, voted to deny Mr Burnham permission to stand in the Greater Manchester by-election.

Sir Keir justified the move arguing ‘an election for the Mayor of Manchester when it’s not necessary would divert our resources away from the elections that we must have.’

• Leadership ballot

If Mr Burnham were to be elected to Parliament, only then could he make a Labour leadership bid.

According to the Labour Party rule book, candidates seeking to enter the ballot must be an MP.

This is because the Labour leader is the Prime Minister, therefore they would need to be a Member of Parliament.

The current rules state a candidate must receive nominations from 20% of their Labour colleagues in Parliament to be in the running.

They must also receive nominations from 5% of constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), or at least three affiliates of the party, with at least two being trade unions.

Andy Burnham has been spotted at Euston station in London.

The Telegraph published a photograph of the Mayor of Greater Manchester getting into a car after he was reportedly spotted on a train.

Guido Fawkes is reporting Mr Burnham has been removed from a list of speakers at the King’s Fund healthcare conference in London later today.

Labour MP Alex Sobel has called on Sir Keir Starmer to step aside as Labour leader with the country losing confidence in him following Peter Mandelson’s resignation.

He said the Minister failed to ‘challenge the status quo’ with his speech on Monday and should ‘announce a date for his departure so we can have an open contest and an orderly transition’, urging against a ‘rushed’ contest.

He said:

The real turning point for the public was the resignation of Peter Mandelson and the subsequent revelations about his appointment, and I’ve yet to hear that properly acknowledged by the Prime Minister.

That moment represented a loss of trust in him personally which I heard time and again on the doorstep.

by Daily Mail Comment

Any pretence that Sir Keir Starmer can long remain as Prime Minister vanished yesterday.

His much-vaunted reset speech was an embarrassing collection of relaunched policies and dreary platitudes, with an extra dash of Brexit-baiting designed to pep up his party’s Euro-fanatics.

The pious PM said Labour under his leadership needed to ‘be better’ – but better at what exactly? Multiplication of zero still results in zero.

Starmer’s greatest problem remains the fact that no one has ever understood what, if anything, he truly stands for.

It is this vacuum that has contributed in great part to the dilemma now faced by Labour and the country – the truly remarkable situation that a Government in power for just 97 weeks has fallen so low.

Britain is now threatened with paralysis – potentially for months – while the Government is preoccupied with mudslinging and in-fighting.

The Daily Mail’s Political Editor Jason Groves has said Labour insiders are predicting more ministerial resignations today.

Earlier, Miatta Fahnbulleh became the first minister to quit the government when she left her role in the Housing department.

Defence Secretary John Healey has warned ‘more instability is not in Britain’s interest’ as he reiterated his support for the Prime Minister in a post on social media.

He wrote on X:

People are worried about current conflicts and looming global crises. They expect their Government to lead the country through, as the PM is doing.

More instability is not in Britain’s interest. Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic (and) security challenges.