Starmer latest: Defiant PM tells cabinet ‘I will not quit’ after dozens of Labour MPs demand he resign
Cabinet minister urges colleagues to back StarmerCabinet minister Steve Reed has urged Labour colleagues to back Sir Keir Starmer.Writing on social media as the meeting was apparently ongoing, the Housing Secretary said: “This is not a game. This instability has consequences for people’s lives. “The people who will be hurt most will be those that elected us less than two years ago. We must unite behind the prime minister.”Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:20Reeves pulls out of City event as Starmer's leadership under fireChancellor Rachel Reeves has pulled out of an event in the City of London on Tuesday morning, the Treasury has confirmed.Ms Reeves was due to take part in a “fireside chat” with the Lady Mayor of London at the City’s global risks summit after attending Cabinet.Her place will now be taken by Treasury minister Lucy Rigby.It comes amid growing tensions in the Cabinet over Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:19Unearthed photo shows PM and two key challenges as new MPs in 2015An unearthed social media post from 2015 shows the prime minister sat beside two of the key figures believed to be challenging his leadership on Tuesday.Things look very different now. Catherine West said at the weekend that if a cabinet minister did not challenge Sir Keir as party leader by Monday, she would attempt to trigger a leadership contest herself.She later backed down, but said the prime minister should lay out a timetable for his departure.Health secretary Wes Streeting has so far remained tight-lipped on Sir Keir’s position, but is widely believed to be preparing to launch a leadership challenge against the prime minister.Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:15Analysis: Keir Starmer has had his ‘put up or shut up’ momentThe Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:Keir Starmer has this morning in essence told his senior ministers to either “put up or shut up” in a statement to open the most fraught Cabinet meeting of his 22 months as prime minister.The “put up or shut up” challenge was famously made by John Major in the 1990s when his Tory government was unravelling and rivals were trying to replace him as prime minister.Now, as scores of Labour MPs demand that he quits as party leader and prime minister, Sir Keir has told his cabinet the same thing.He noted how “destabilising” the last 48 hours have been and pointed out that there are very specific rules to replace the leader.That involves one or more of the contenders to find the backbone to actually stand against him.The message was certainly being delivered to health secretary Wes Streeting who is poised to launch a bid and may well have been directed at energy secretary Ed Miliband and home secretary Shabana Mahmood as well. They all have pretentions to his crown.The comments also apply to those outside the room including former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.But what is clear is that the current situation cannot go on much longer with the prime minister no longer having the confidence of so many of his own MPs.The gilt markets have already reacted to the instability pushing up the price of borrowing and until this is resolved it will only get worse with the country left in limbo.Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:10Watch: Starmer tells cabinet 'I will not quit' after dozens of Labour MPs tell him to resignStarmer tells cabinet 'I will not quit' after dozens of Labour MPs tell him to resignNicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:05The medieval reason why the King’s speech cannot be cancelledThe Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:While Sir Keir Starmer may be about to resign as prime minister the planned King’s Speech for the state opening of parliament on Wednesday will still have to go ahead unedited.The problem is that the speech is by tradition written on vellum (animal hide) and needs around three days for the ink to dry.This means it cannot be redrafted or cancelled.So even if Sir Keir quits today the programme for his government will have to be read out by King Charles as if he was going ahead with a new long session of parliament instead of waiting for the programme of whoever succeeds him.The situation could add a farcical touch to the end of Starmer’s premiership and an indignity which may well annoy the monarch.Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 10:00Starmer tells Cabinet he will continue governingThe prime minister has told a meeting of the Cabinet: “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised.“The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families.“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.”Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 09:58No leadership ballot has been triggered, Starmer tells CabinetNo leadership ballot has been triggered, the prime minister has reportedly told Cabinet ministers this morning, as he attempts to put on a fighting front.Reading out a text on Sky News, journalist Beth Rigby said Sir Keir has begun the meeting showing defiance and told ministers: “I will not quit”.Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 09:51Analysis: First minister to quit is a significant momentThe Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:Miatta Fahnbulleh has resigned as minister for devolution and told the prime minister to go.This is a significant moment because while other members of the government quit last night they were at the most junior unpaid parliamentary private secretary (PPS) rank, colloquially known as “bag carriers”.Ms Fahnbulleh was seen as a rising star in the government and one with ambitions for the future. So for her to believe that Sir Keir cannot be prime minister is a sign that the ambitious ministers are now abandoning ship.Others are expected to follow her.The other significant part of her resignation is that up until now the process has been driven by allies of Wes Streeting, the health secretary who is expected to launch a leadership bid.But Ms Fahnbulleh is an ally of energy secretary Ed Miliband who has also been silent on supporting Starmer and is thought to be eyeing a bid himself.Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 09:50MP says party needs 'change of direction' and calls on PM to quitPaul Foster, Labour MP for South Ribble in Lancashire, urged Sir Keir Starmer to quit.Writing on social media, he said: “Unfortunately, after much reflection, the prime minister’s speech yesterday did little to reassure me that he has the vision needed to reconnect with the country and rebuild public confidence under his leadership.“We need a leader with the vision to take us into the next chapter; someone who can rebuild trust, reconnect with communities across the country and provide the sense of optimism and hope that people are crying out for, while delivering the change we promised in our manifesto.“It pains me to say this because I am a loyal person by nature, and I do not come to this conclusion lightly. But it is with great regret that I believe the party now needs a change of direction and, ultimately, a new leader.”Nicole Wootton-Cane12 May 2026 09:45
