LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet his top ministers on Tuesday for talks at which he may be forced to set out a timetable for his departure after one of the governing Labor Party’s worst election defeats.
Mr. Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, vowed on Monday to stay the course, saying succumbing to calls for him to go would bring in the type of chaos that has dogged Britain since the nation narrowly voted in favor of Brexit in 2016.
But his plea for another chance fell on deaf ears and almost 80 lawmakers publicly called for him to set a resignation date so the party could install a new leader in an orderly manner.
British media reports also said several cabinet ministers, including interior minister Shabana Mahmood, had told Mr. Starmer he should consider complying with those demands.
The cabinet was due to meet at 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT).
Borrowing costs rose and sterling fell against the dollar as Britain embarked on its latest bout of political instability. Were Mr. Starmer to go in the coming weeks, he would be replaced by Britain’s seventh prime minister in 10 years.
STARMER IS ‘LISTENING’ TO COLLEAGUES, SAYS ALLY
Senior minister and Starmer ally Darren Jones told Times Radio on Tuesday that Mr. Starmer, facing a mounting rebellion from across his party, was consulting colleagues.
“He’s listening to colleagues, and he’s talking to colleagues. I can’t get ahead of any decision he may or may not take,” Mr. Jones said.
He later appeared to backtrack, repeating Mr. Starmer’s pledge on Monday that the prime minister would not walk away.
Mr. Starmer had sought to shore up his position on Monday when he promised to act more boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain’s many problems.
He had said the country would never forgive the center-left Labor Party if it embarked on a leadership challenge, just two years after its huge parliamentary majority was supposed to bring an end to the political chaos that had gripped the country since Britain voted to leave the European Union 10 years ago.
But almost immediately his lawmakers started to publicly call for him to quit or set a date for his departure. By Monday evening four ministerial aides had quit, saying Mr. Starmer no longer had the authority to lead the country.
“I can’t see how he gets through the day,” one Labor lawmaker told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. “If we’re on 70-odd now, the number who think he should go but haven’t gone public is easily double that.”
It is generally harder for Labor lawmakers to remove a prime minister than the opposition Conservative Party, which went through five prime ministers in eight years after 2016. Labor lawmakers have to rally behind specific candidates, rather than simply declare “no confidence” in the leader.
Removing Mr. Starmer now – or forcing him to set a departure date – would likely favor health minister Wes Streeting, who hails from the right of the party and is seen as a better communicator than Mr. Starmer.
Other possible challengers, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner have obstacles to running. Mr. Burnham does not have the seat in parliament he needs to mount a challenge and Ms. Rayner has yet to fully resolve the tax issues that prompted her resignation from office last year.
Bond markets have been sensitive to any suggestion that Mr. Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves could go, and be replaced by someone further to the left who might want to borrow and spend more.
The move against him comes a day before King Charles is due to set out the government’s legislative agenda in a parliamentary ceremony of pomp and splendor on Wednesday. — Reuters
