Pressure mounts on British PM Starmer to quit after crushing Labour election losses

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces growing calls to resign after his party suffered heavy losses in local and regional elections, with more than 70 of its 403 MPs demanding he step down. Despite pledging to prove his critics wrong and deliver bolder policies, Starmer has struggled to regain public confidence, as voters expressed dissatisfaction with his leadership through significant gains for the hard-right Reform UK and the left-wing Greens. Four government aides have resigned, including Joe Morris, parliamentary private secretary to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who stated on X that Starmer no longer has the public's trust to lead change. Tom Rutland, an aide to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, said Starmer had lost authority among Labour MPs and could not regain it. Melanie Ward, assistant to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, acknowledged Starmer's past contributions but said the election results made clear he had lost public confidence. Cabinet Office aide Naushabah Khan also resigned, calling for new leadership to rebuild trust. Under Labour rules, a leadership challenge requires support from 81 MPs. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper and Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood have urged Starmer to oversee an orderly transition. Starmer, 63, came to power in July 2024 following a landslide victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule, but his tenure has been marred by policy missteps and a scandal involving the appointment and dismissal of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington due to Epstein ties. He has failed to spur economic growth amid a cost-of-living crisis, though he earned praise for resisting US President Donald Trump on Iran. The elections saw Labour lose control of the Welsh parliament to Plaid Cymru for the first time since 1999 and fail to gain ground against the Scottish National Party. In a speech on Monday, Starmer admitted public frustration and promised a stronger response on growth, European ties, and energy, including full nationalisation of British Steel and a condemnation of Brexit as leaving the UK poorer and less secure. MP Catherine West, who had considered triggering a leadership challenge, is now gathering support for Starmer to set a timetable for a new leader's election in September. Starmer vowed to fight any challenge, warning Labour would not be forgiven if it repeated the chaos of the previous Conservative government, which had five prime ministers since 2010.

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