STARMER VOWS TO FIGHT ON – After Labour suffers staggering defeat in elections (EA)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on, after his party suffered a staggering defeat in the local elections. Starmer described his government as a “10-year project” despite mounting calls for him to quit after his party’s drubbing in local elections earlier this week.
Labour’s defeat is reportedly dubbed as the worst local election losses for a governing party in more than three decades, while the populist Reform UK party made significant gains – prompting a growing number of Labour lawmakers to call for his removal.
A former minister in Starmer’s government, Catherine West, threatened to seek the backing of MPs to trigger a leadership contest unless his cabinet took steps to remove him today. Under party rules, it would take 20% of the parliamentary party, or 81 lawmakers, to trigger a leadership challenge, and 30 members of parliament have currently voiced opposition to his leadership.
Starmer, if removed in the coming weeks, would see Britain with its seventh prime minister in the past decade.
Starmer said the government would introduce legislation allowing the full nationalisation of British Steel after efforts to find a private buyer failed. He described steel production as strategically important for the UK’s economy, national security and infrastructure.
