The Prime Minister is in the most difficult position of his tenure to date. Within 24 hours both his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and his director of communications Tim Allan have resigned from the government. Allan was the Prime Minister’s fourth communications chief in eighteen months.
Labour Party opinion is divided over the fate of Keir Starmer. Privately, several MPs and Labour sources have made clear they think Starmer ought to go. Now, some have begun to go public. But several members of the cabinet have rallied around their leader, publicly expressing their support for him. Here is the New Statesman’s rolling tracker of those who have stood by the PM, and those who have called for him to go:
The PM should stay:
1. Rachel Reeves
In a post on X, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said: “Rebuilding Britain takes time… With Keir as our Prime Minister we are turning the country around.”
2. David Lammy
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “We should let nothing distract us from our mission to change Britain and we support the Prime Minister in doing that.”
3. Yvette Cooper
In a statement, the Foreign Secretary said: “At this crucial time for the world, we need [Starmer’s] leadership not just at home but on the global stage, and we need to keep our focus where it matters, on keeping our country safe.”
4. John Healey
The Defence Secretary said: “The PM has my fullest support in leading this government and this country.”
5. Darren Jones
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister said in a statement: “All of us in the Labour Party must get behind the Prime Minister, rise to the challenge and deliver a richer, fairer and stronger future.”
6. Peter Kyle
In a post on X, the Business Secretary said: “I back Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. The economy is growing, let’s focus on delivering for the British people.”
7. Heidi Alexander
The Transport Secretary said: “Keir led our party to a General Election victory 18 months ago and he is the right person for the job in difficult circumstances. The public wants us to fix the country’s problems, not fixate on ourselves.”
8. Steve Reed
Housing Secretary, Steve Reed said: “Keir led our party to victory and won a mandate for change…We need to stay the course and deliver the change this country voted for.”
9. Nick Thomas-Symonds
A Cabinet Office Minister, and close ally of Starmer, Thomas-Symonds said: “Keir has taken us from our worst defeat since 1935 to changing lives in Government. He’s one of only four Labour Leaders to win a General Election.”
10. Richard Hermer
A close ally of Starmer, Attorney General Hermer said: “We all need to show our full-throated support for Keir. He is one of four people in UK history to win a general election for our Party, and has a five-year mandate for change from our historic victory in 2024”
11. Jo Stevens
In a statement, the Welsh Secretary said: “Keir Starmer is a good, decent man with public service running through his veins… He’s changing and renewing our country and has restored its reputation across the world.”
12. Douglas Alexander
The Scottish Secretary said: “The Prime Minister has recognised not just that lessons have to be learned but that we have to change how we do government. He is right about that and has my support.”
13. Ed Miliband
The Energy Secretary said: “Keir has earned the right to deliver the change he has promised and do what he cares about – which is to serve the country. This is not the time for the government to turn inwards on itself.”
14. Lucy Powell
The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party said: “I will be sitting alongside Keir Starmer at the PLP this evening as Deputy Leader with my full support.”
15. Angela Rayner
The former Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary said: “I urge all my colleagues to come together, remember our values and put them into practice as a team. The Prime Minister has my full support in leading us to that end”.
16. Shabana Mahmood
The Home Secretary said in a statement: “The PM has my full support. Let’s get on with changing the country for the better.”
17. Emily Thornberry
The Chair of the Foreign Affairs select committee said in a post on X: “We need to be united to deliver what we have promised the British people. That means uniting around our leader.”
This list will be updated.
The PM should go:
1. Anas Sarwar
The Scottish Labour leader called a surprise press conference in which he said: “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
2. Ian Byrne
The MP for Liverpool West Derby said in a statement on X following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney: “The PM must now reflect honestly on his own position and ask whether, for the good of the country and the Labour Party, he should follow McSweeney’s lead.”
3. Brian Leishman
In a statement on X, the Scottish MP for Grangemouth and Alloa said: “I have said that Keir Starmer’s position is untenable and it is in the country’s best interests for him to step down and for the Government to have a change in direction”.
4. Peter Lamb
Writing for The House magazine, Peter Lamb said the Prime Minister should set his departure date now. He wrote: “[Starmer] can wait until May and force the country to endure the chaos of removing a sitting PM… or he can act now and announce his departure in May.
5. Chris Hinchliff
The MP for North East Hertfordshire said: “The PM must resign. It should have been morally obvious that a known associate of a convicted paedophile and sex trafficker should not be our US ambassador. The decision is clearly indefensible and the PM cannot credibly continue.”
This list will be updated.
[Further reading: Anas Sarwar calls for Keir Starmer to resign]
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