Anas Sarwar has called for Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party.
In a hastily arranged press conference on Monday afternoon, the Scottish Labour leader said “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
Sarwar said “the failures at the heart of Downing Street” were harming the prospects of Labour in the May elections to the Scottish parliament. He warned that carrying on along the current course would lead to a third decade of SNP rule in Holyrood.
He also condemned the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. The Mandelson affair was the trigger for the chaos of this week, but it is now opening the door to much broader criticisms of Starmer’s leadership, and, in particular, Labour’s poor polling.
No 10 robustly responded to Sarwar’s press conference with a statement emphasising the PM’s “clear five-year mandate”.
A Downing Street spokesperson: “Keir Starmer is one of only four Labour leaders ever to have won a general election. He has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do.”
Sarwar’s announcement, briefed to journalists in the hours before his press conference, appears to have triggered a backlash, with more than half of the cabinet coming out to publicly back the PM.
David Lammy, Steve Reed, Richard Hermer, John Healey, Rachel Reeves, Bridget Phillipson, Yvette Cooper, Hilary Benn, Liz Kendall, Douglas Alexander, Heidi Alexander, Jo Stevens, Pat McFadden, Jenny Chapman, Darren Jones and Nick Thomas-Symonds all made public statements of support on Monday – some of them while Sarwar was speaking.
Despite calling for the PM to step down and trigger a Labour leadership contest, Sarwar would not name a possible successor to Starmer and said he was not backing any candidate to replace him.
He denied any “coordination” with Starmer’s rivals and said of a future leadership contest: “Ultimately it is for those in No 10, those around the Cabinet table and those in the UK Labour Party, that’s not a matter for me.”
He said he was announcing his feelings publicly rather than anonymously briefing to journalists. That struck a contrast with the various ministers and Labour MPs who have privately been telling journalists that they think the Prime Minister is finished.
Sarwar said Starmer had been a friend to whom he had “a certain level of loyalty”. He said his decision to call for Starmer to go had caused him some “personal hurt and pain”.
[Further reading: Inside Keir Starmer’s crisis speech to no 10]
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Subscribe here to commentOh…that’s it? I was looking forward to Ethans usual fiery take. Perhaps the turnaround was too quick.
I find commitment to any party tiresome. I want someone in power making sensible decisions for the long term. I loathe reshuffles. I buy into the Rory Stewart and Nick Clegg stories of lack of continuity as they enter offices.
Whatever game Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham seem to be playing will only serve themselves. Furthermore, last I understood Wes takes money from Tufton Street? If he was in power, I could only vote independent or Lib Dem if there was an election tomorrow.
This whole Mandelaon saga is the mandate we need to legislate integrity back into politics. You may lose the next election, but you’ll protect the country for generations. Seriously Keir, if there’s anyone to do it. You hate politics, but you have integrity. For the love of god do the thing you know!