More than 70 Labour MPs have reportedly called on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down following the party’s heavy losses in local and regional elections, intensifying the leadership crisis within the ruling government. Under Labour Party rules, 81 MPs are needed to formally trigger a leadership challenge.

Despite mounting pressure, Starmer on Tuesday rejected calls to resign, telling ministers he would continue governing despite a "destabilising" 48 hours marked by increasing demands for him to set a timetable for his departure following Labour’s drubbing in the local elections. During a cabinet meeting, Starmer, who has been in office for less than two years, repeated that while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest, Reuters reported.

The pressure on Starmer mounted on Monday after multiple ministerial aides resigned and senior Labour figures privately questioned whether he could lead the party into the next general election scheduled for 2029.

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British media reports claim several senior cabinet ministers, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, advised Starmer to consider an orderly transition of power after Labour’s disappointing electoral performance.

At the same time, Starmer who is Britain’s fourth prime minister in five years is facing scrutiny over the Labour Party’s approval process surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the United States due to Mandelson’s past links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Starmer, 63, came to power in July 2024 after a landslide election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative Party rule.

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Names of Ministers and aides who resigned

- Jess Phillips resigned as Safeguarding Minister on May 12, 2026.

- Miatta Fahnbulleh stepped down as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities.

- Alex Davies-Jones resigned on May 12 and published a letter urging Starmer to set a timetable for his departure "in the country's interest".

Additionally, thesed six Parliamentary Private Secretaries also resigned on May 11 after publicly urging Starmer to quit:

  • Joe Morris
  • Melanie Ward
  • Naushabah Khan
  • Tom Rutland
  • Gordon McKee
  • Sally Jameson