Labour is facing an unusually public burst of criticism from inside its parliamentary ranks after a series of poor results in recent polls. By late Friday more than 20 Labour MPs had publicly said Sir Keir Starmer should either resign or set a clear timetable for his departure, and many more privately blamed his leadership for turning voters away.
Several MPs told the BBC that voters were not simply rejecting Labour policy but were personally put off by the prime minister. One MP said the dominant message on the doorstep was that “it was Keir,” while others described voters as being willing to vote against him even if they were not hostile to the party overall.
Not all critics want an immediate change. Some MPs warned that a leadership contest while Labour governs could be damaging, and pointed out that whoever replaced Starmer would still face a difficult political environment, with public demands for tax cuts and increased spending.
Senior figures have framed their concerns in different ways. Former cabinet minister Louise Haigh urged against a messy internal contest now but warned that unless the government delivers “urgent and significant change” the prime minister should not be the leader into the next election. Sarah Owen echoed that unless Starmer produces tangible shifts, he should not lead the party locally or nationally into another poll.
A strand of the pressure is linked to the ambitions of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. Supporters want a timetable for Starmer’s exit that would allow Burnham to return to Westminster and contest the leadership. Burnham is not currently an MP; when he tried to stand recently the party barred his candidacy, and some members of Labour’s National Executive Committee have indicated they might again block him. If Burnham were prevented from running, one MP warned, the mood in the parliamentary party could become “mutinous.”
At the same time, most cabinet ministers have rallied publicly to the prime minister, appearing on television and posting social-media endorsements of his leadership. Business Secretary Peter Kyle put it bluntly: reversing the results requires collective effort, not simply “blaming the boss.” The unusually public demonstrations of loyalty underline the anxiety in Downing Street about the scale of the electoral shock.
The election map was strikingly fragmented: local defeats to the Greens in Camden, losses for the Conservatives to Reform in parts of Essex, and the same-area council leaders from Labour, the Conservatives and others losing seats in Kirklees. Longstanding Labour strongholds such as parts of Wales and traditional council leaderships were overturned in places, while the Scottish National Party continued to hold ground in Scotland.
Starmer is reported to be “hunkering down” at No 10 and plans to deliver a major speech next week alongside a new legislative programme. Allies acknowledge that how that package is received could be decisive for his future.
For now the divide is between those urging patience and an internal strategy to regroup, and a vocal minority pushing for a clear timeline for change — partly to make way for potential challengers. The coming days, and the reception to the government’s next moves, will be crucial in determining whether calls for a leadership change grow or recede.