Labour won a landslide 411 seats in the July 2024 general election under Starmer, a majority of 174, while the Conservatives slumped to just 121 seats, their lowest ever. Only three previous Labour leaders had achieved a comfortable majority: Clement Attlee in 1945, Harold Wilson in 1966, and Tony Blair after 1997. Starmer took over the party in 2020 after its worst seat return since 1935 in the 2019 election.
The May 7, 2026 elections saw Labour lose votes to the Greens and Reform UK, triggering the current crisis. British press reported that more than 70 Labour MPs were calling for Starmer's resignation as of May 12, while some sources put the figure at over 80. According to background briefings to several media outlets, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Starmer to set out a plan to step down, though other reports indicate only Mahmood and Cooper delivered the message, leaving Lammy's role unclear.
There's nothing stopping Bridget from standing. Why are all the men better than the women?
Starmer told his cabinet colleagues he would not resign and challenged rivals to prove they have the numbers to replace him. His speech on Monday morning offered no new vision or policies and angered his MPs further. Four ministers quit on Tuesday, according to reports.
Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, cannot stand for leader because he is not an MP. Angela Rayner still has serious questions over her tax affairs to resolve and seems equivocal about running, according to reports. Wes Streeting is a good communicator but his leadership experience is thin, and he is detested by the left of the party and trade unions.
We do need some senior women to step forward and to challenge for what is going to be a really difficult two and a half years between now and the general election, and also to take us into that second term.
Despite this, he is thought to be one of the frontrunners in the next potential leadership race. The timing of the coup has helped Streeting more than anyone else. Many MPs calling for Starmer's resignation are from the right of the party and allies of Streeting.
Chris Curtis, chair of the Labour Growth Group and ally of Streeting, publicly called for Starmer to go. A photo from 2015 shows Starmer, Streeting, and Catherine West sitting together in the Commons chamber on Starmer's first day as an elected MP. The photo has resurfaced online and provoked comment on social media ahead of a meeting between Starmer and Streeting.
If you are a school failing an inspection report, you would take the head out, wouldn't you? Or you take the chair of the council out. The same goes for a hospital inspection or in a company CEO would have to take responsibility and the board would have to basically bring on new leadership.
According to the Daily Mirror, West urged Bridget Phillipson to stand against Starmer for the Labour leadership, warning that if Cabinet members do not pick a new leader, she will challenge Starmer herself. West reportedly said there is nothing stopping Phillipson from standing and questioned why men are considered better than women. She added that senior women need to step forward to challenge for the difficult period ahead and to lead into a second term.
Phillipson responded that she loves West dearly but disagrees on this. West also reportedly said that if a school fails an inspection, the head is removed, and the same applies to a hospital or a company CEO, arguing that Labour looks dated and needs to modernise. According to the Daily Mirror, more than 100 backbenchers are understood to have signed a letter in support of Starmer.
Labour is looking 'very dated' and the party needs to 'modernise'.
Streeting attended a service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate Florence Nightingale and paid tribute to nurses and midwives. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage laid out plans for mass deportation of migrants, including those who arrived without permission and those already in the UK via illicit channels. His plan includes cash incentives for voluntary departure, detention camps, and deportation flights, with the UK withdrawing from international refugee treaties.