May 11, 2026, 10:56 p.mMay 11, 2026, 10:56 p.m
After his Labor Party’s election debacle, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under increasing pressure. More than 60 of the 400 Labor MPs, including many backbenchers, publicly withdrew their support for the ailing head of government over the course of Monday, as reported by Sky and the BBC. In addition, four parliamentary assistants to his ministers announced their resignation that evening and called on Starmer to vacate the field.
The pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is growing after the election debacle.Image: keystone
Labor lost over 1,400 seats in local bodies in the local elections in England last week. In the general election in Wales, a Labor stronghold for decades, the party slipped into third place behind the pro-independence party Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.
Starmer is combative
On Monday evening, an employee of Health Minister Wes Streeting, Joe Morris, and an employee of the Environment Ministry, Tom Rutland, resigned. Shortly afterwards, Naushabah Khan from the Cabinet Office and Melanie Ward from Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy’s team followed.
They all hold the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS), a type of assistant post. They are appointed by ministers and, according to the parliamentary website, act as their “eyes and ears” in the House of Commons. The unpaid position is often the first government job for ambitious MPs.
Starmer had already rejected calls for his resignation several times, and he appeared combative in a crisis speech this morning. He knows that he has doubters and has to convince them of himself – “and I will,” he said. After his speech, the Prime Minister also received encouragement from his own ranks. (sda/dpa)