Unions pile in on Starmer after election catastrophe: Live updates

Following Unite chief Sharon Graham’s scathing attack on Keir Starmer this morning, Dave Ward – the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) – has now also come out against the Labour premier.

Speaking to delegates at the party’s conference in Bournemouth, he said:

There’s nobody in this room who doesn’t understand that that wasn’t down to the work of Labour councillors out on the ground.

That was down to the simple fact and truth that Labour has completely and utterly misread a lot of the situations that it faces and it has disconnected from working-class people.

Labour MP Josh Simons has added his name to a growing list of disillusioned party representatives calling on Sir Keir Starmer to go.

Formerly considered a Starmer loyalist, Mr Simons is a previous director of the Labour Together think tank, which was important to Sir Keir’s rise to power.

Sharing his article for The Times to social media, Mr Simons admitted the piece was ‘not easy to write’.

But in a rallying call, he added, ‘We Labour MPs must square up to the truth. These elections were not a normal mid-term drubbing, they were an unequivocal judgement that our actions do not meet the moment.’

He wrote in The Times:

Putting the people I represent and the country I love first, I do not believe the prime minister can rise to this moment.

He has lost the country. He should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.

The leader of the performing arts union Equity has called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to set out a timetable in which he ‘resigns and is replaced’.

Paul W Fleming also told his union’s annual conference in Durham that Equity opposes giving Reform a platform, and what they threaten to do to the union movement.

He told delegates that among Reform voters are ‘people who are actually frustrated about the economic and social situation in which we find ourselves… who are desperately grabbing around for a different answer’ and said that for this, ‘there is one person who is disproportionately to blame: not Nigel Farage, but Keir Starmer’.

He said the rise of the far right, including Reform, was potentially the biggest threat to any union, adding: ‘Not every Reform voter. Not every Reform council candidate, but the leadership, direction and policies of that party are those of the far right.

‘I have no shame in saying so, and I have no shame in saying that this union opposes them, opposes giving them a platform, and opposes what they threaten to do to our movement and trade union.’

He concluded that people were frustrated about the current economic and social situation, which he said has seen wage stagnation and austerity leading to desperation for a different answer.

‘There is one person who is disproportionately to blame: not Nigel Farage, but Keir Starmer, and this union should have no hesitation in calling for the Prime Minister to set out a timetable in which he resigns and is replaced.’

A cabinet source has told Sky News they think it’s 60-40 odds that a ‘disorderly’ leadership contest is called within the next few days.

Another insider said:

I appreciate these things can spiral, and this is clearly a moment of danger for Keir Starmer, especially if, as I assume is the case, the speech tomorrow is underwhelming.

Peter Hain, who held various cabinet posts between 2005 and 2010 and who is now a Labour peer told Radio 4’s the World at One that Keir Starmer must now implement fundamental change – if he wants to survive.

He said:

He has to change, or he’ll be changed, either by the party or by voters. And it’s got to be real change, not just cosmetic change of the kind that he’s indulged in in the past.

Secondly, he’s got to stop making stupid mistakes like appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US, and also the winter fuel allowance [cut], which really destroyed people’s belief that this was a Labour government.

Mr Hain also insisted the Prime Minister must ‘abandon Tory orthodoxy’.

Labour MPs are not the only ones celebrating backbencher Catherine West’s leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.

In a post on X, the Australian journalist Michael West issued a show of solidarity with his 59-year-old sister.

He observed: ‘Seems my sister has just launched a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer.’

Alarm has been raised that Ms West’s threat to launch a ‘stalking horse’ challenge to Sir Keir as early as tomorrow could put Wes Streeting – seen as on the Blairite wing of the party – in No10.

Some believe the Health Secretary’s allies want to force a leadership crisis before Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, favoured by many on the Left, can find a way of returning to the Commons.

Having neutralised Mr Burnham, Mr Streeting would then try to see off the challenge from his other big rival Angela Rayner – who is still wrangling with HMRC over her unpaid stamp duty.

Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, appears to share the view of many other Starmer-skeptics in his party.

He believes Keir Starmer should resign – but that Catherine West’s leadership bid plot is not the answer.

Speaking to Sky News, he said:

We need a full process which doesn’t just involve members of the cabinet or MPs but involves our trade unions as well, party members and Labour councillors – and those who through no fault of their own lost their seat.

Crucially, Starmer’s cabinet are remaining loyal to him despite Thursday’s election losses.

Bridget Phillipson, the education minister, said she was confident the prime minister could turn things around, telling Sky News today that Sir Keir would set out a ‘fresh direction’ for Britain in a speech on Monday.

Among his vocal supporters outside the cabinet are deputy party leader Lucy Powell who yesterday said Labour must ‘listen’ and ‘change’ approach but stick with Starmer.

It is a similar line taken by several Labour MPs such as the likes of Tom Hayes for Bournemouth East who has warned against ‘blaming the boss’.

The leader of the Labour party in Scotland has blamed a ‘national wave’ against the party for its worst result of devolution, which saw only 17 MSPs elected.

Anas Sarwar accepted the outcome as ‘disappointing and hurtful’ but added he ‘absolutely’ intends to stay in post.

Labour is now tied with Holyrood newcomers Reform UK for second place in the Edinburgh Parliament.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Mr Sarwar said:

The reality is we believed we could cut through the national noise, we had a campaign designed to try to cut through the national noise, but we failed to do so and ultimately that is why we got the result we did.

In case you missed it, here is Labour backbencher Catherine West demanding her ‘excellent’ colleagues pluck up the courage to oust Sir Keir Starmer as leader.

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.

You can hear her full thoughts below.

Sir Keir Starmer has assured the general public that there will be ‘no holding back’ in calling for the UK to be ‘closer to Europe’ – ahead of his big reset speech tomorrow.

In his highly-anticipated address to MPs, the Prime Minister will also attempt to offer evidence he is responding to the scale of defeat inflicted on Labour in this week’s local elections.

He has now also signalled, in an Observer interview, that building a closer relationship with the EU will form part of his message tomorrow.