Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, on Monday.James Manning/The Associated Press
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to move the U.K. closer to the European Union as part of a wider effort to resuscitate his flagging leadership, but calls for him to resign have been growing louder among Labour MPs.
In a speech on Monday that was widely seen as a last-ditch effort to save his job, Mr. Starmer acknowledged the growing dissension among backbench Labour MPs but refused to step down.
“I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain. Frustrated by politics, and some people frustrated with me,” he told a group of supporters and journalists in Downing Street. “I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong. And I will.”
Mr. Starmer promised more interventionist policies such as nationalizing British Steel, which has struggled to stay afloat, and a “jobs guarantee” for young people who are out of work.
He also launched an attack on the proponents of Brexit, notably Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The Prime Minister said leaving the EU had not delivered the benefits Brexit backers promised during the 2016 referendum such as improved economic growth, tighter security or immigration reform. Mr. Farage “took Britain for a ride,” he said.
He plans to “put Britain in the heart of Europe” and move the country closer to the EU on trade, defence and security. “And that will then be a platform on which we can build as we go forward.” He also did not rule out Britain rejoining the EU’s single market and customs union.
It’s not clear if Mr. Starmer’s speech will be enough to fend off his critics.
Despite leading the party to a massive majority less than two years ago in a national parliamentary election, Mr. Starmer has been under increasing pressure to resign. The calls grew louder after Labour suffered historic defeats in a series of local elections across England, Scotland and Wales last week.
Keir Starmer faces chorus of calls to resign as Labour Party trounced in local elections
In England, Labour lost nearly 1,500 local council seats, mostly to Reform and the Green Party. The party also finished a distant second in the Scottish parliamentary election and lost power in Wales for the first time in more than a century, falling to third place.
As many as 40 MPs have called on Mr. Starmer to resign immediately or set out a plan for his departure as leader, according to Sky News. Many said Mr. Starmer’s speech had not changed their minds.
“It is clear the PM does not have a credible plan. He must now set out a timetable for departure,” Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy wrote on X.
Another MP echoed the same sentiment.
“If we are to make good on the promises we made to the country in 2024 ... then we cannot carry on with the approach we have taken in the first two years of this Labour Government,” Labour MP David Smith wrote on X. “I therefore believe that now is the time for the Prime Minister to set a clear timetable for his departure.”
No sitting Labour Prime Minister has ever been successfully ousted, mainly because it’s not easy.
A leadership contest can be triggered if 20 per cent of the Labour caucus, which would currently be 81 MPs, nominates a challenger. Mr. Starmer would automatically be allowed to run in a subsequent leadership race, which would also include balloting from affiliated trade unions and party members.
Potential challengers to Mr. Starmer include Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, former deputy party leader Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting. But they all have drawbacks.
Mr. Burnham is considered the frontrunner, but he would have to find a seat in parliament since the party leader must be an MP. Given last week’s election results, there are fewer safe Labour constituencies for a by-election.
Ms. Rayner, who is an MP, has been struggling to distance herself from a scandal involving her failure to pay the appropriate tax on a house she bought, and Mr. Streeting has been questioned about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
In a speech to a labour union conference on Monday, Ms. Rayner said Mr. Starmer “acknowledged the frustration that was expressed last week. But we will be judged on actions and not just our words.”
Despite the difficulties of mounting a challenge, Mr. Starmer has clearly lost the confidence of a number of MPs and a leadership bid could be coming.
Over the weekend, Labour MP Catherine West said she would try to trigger a leadership challenge and move to gather 81 nominations in the hope of forcing other front-runners to come forward. On Monday, she backed off the threat of a leadership bid but said she would start collecting names of MPs who want Mr. Starmer out.
Ms. West said Mr. Starmer’s speech “was too little too late” and she called for the Prime Minister to outline a timetable for the election of a new leader in September.
“The results last Thursday show that the Prime Minister has failed to inspire hope. What is best for the party and country now is for an orderly transition,” she said.