Britain13 May, 20262 min read
Labour-Affiliated Unions Urge Keir Starmer Exit, Predict He Won’t Lead Labour Into Next Election
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Labour-affiliated unions say Starmer will not lead Labour into the next election. Unions call for a leadership change and a timetable for appointing a new leader.
Unions demand change
Eleven Labour-affiliated unions including Unite, Unison and GMB said “at some stage” a plan must be put in place to elect a new leader, predicting that Keir Starmer “will not lead the party into the next general election.” The BBC said the unions met on Tuesday despite Starmer pulling out of a meeting, and it reported that the statement was developed as a compromise after some unions wanted a timetable for his departure.
In the leaked draft statement described by The Guardian, the unions said Labour “cannot continue on its current path” and urged a “fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy” rather than “personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.” The BBC also reported that Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds acknowledged it had been “turbulent” but insisted there was “no contest for the leadership of the Labour Party.”
Numbers and leadership bid
LabourList reported that as of 9pm on Wednesday, 93 Labour MPs were calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation, while 111 Labour MPs signed a statement of support backing the PM. LabourList also said suspended Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Karl Turner have called for Keir Starmer to resign, and it noted that if a leadership contest is triggered, Abbott and Turner would be unable to make a PLP nomination but would be able to vote in a ballot of all party members.
The Irish Examiner reported that allies of Wes Streeting said he would launch a challenge of Keir Starmer tomorrow, with a source close to Streeting saying “No one has the numbers till the bell is struck, even canvassing isn’t real.” The Irish Examiner added that Streeting visited Downing Street for crunch talks that lasted less than 20 minutes, and it said the British Health Secretary did not speak to reporters on his way in or out of Number 10.
Starmer insists on governing
Starmer told the Cabinet, “The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families,” and LabourList said he added that “The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.”
“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.”
LabourList reported that he told the Cabinet, “The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.”
CNBC quoted London mayor Sadiq Khan urging Labour to be “bolder and braver,” and it reported Khan warning, “We are in danger of losing the next general election pretty badly.”
CNBC also reported Khan’s call for a manifesto promise that if Labour wins the next general election, “we will rejoin the European Union,” and it said a general election must take place no later than August 2029.