Four senior ministers in the government of Keir Starmer have resigned amid mounting pressure on the British prime minister to step down following Labour’s heavy losses in recent local and devolved elections across the United Kingdom.
The resignations, announced on Tuesday, deepened the political crisis facing Starmer as more than 80 Labour MPs publicly called for him to quit.
Among those who resigned was Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister and one of the prime minister’s most influential allies. In a strongly worded resignation letter, Phillips said she had become frustrated by what she described as the government’s failure to pursue bold reforms and decisive leadership.
Phillips stated that although Starmer cared about the right issues, his reluctance to confront internal disagreements had slowed progress on key policies. She cited delays in efforts to tackle online child sexual exploitation, saying proposals designed to prevent children from creating explicit images of themselves had remained stalled for more than a year.
She accused the government of embracing “incremental change” instead of pursuing urgent reforms, adding that major policy announcements repeatedly failed to materialise.
Shortly after Phillips’ departure, Alex Davies-Jones, the minister responsible for victims and violence against women and girls, also resigned. In her resignation letter, Davies-Jones said Labour’s poor electoral performance showed the public had lost confidence in the government.
She urged Starmer to establish a timetable for his departure, arguing that the country needed “bold, radical action” after what she described as catastrophic election defeats across England, Wales and Scotland.
Health minister Zubir Ahmed also stepped down, criticising what he called a lack of values-driven leadership and claiming the public had “irretrievably lost confidence” in the prime minister.
Earlier, communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh became the first minister to resign from Starmer’s administration on Tuesday. Fahnbulleh said Labour canvassers encountered widespread public frustration during the elections and argued that the prime minister should oversee an “orderly transition” of power.
Despite the growing rebellion within his party, Starmer told cabinet ministers he would remain in office and continue leading the government. According to reports, he insisted the threshold required for a formal leadership challenge had not been reached.
Several senior ministers publicly defended the prime minister following the cabinet meeting. Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said no cabinet minister had challenged Starmer directly during discussions and insisted the government should continue focusing on its agenda.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall also reaffirmed her support, saying the government remained committed to serving the British public.
However, reports indicated that several senior cabinet members privately discussed the possibility of an orderly leadership transition with Starmer following Labour’s disappointing election results. Those said to have held discussions included deputy prime minister David Lammy, defence secretary John Healey, home secretary Yvette Cooper and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Meanwhile, Starmer ally Darren Jones acknowledged that some MPs wanted the prime minister to outline plans for his departure but stressed that Starmer intended to continue in office.
Jones warned against assuming that replacing the prime minister would automatically solve Labour’s problems, describing the role as extremely demanding in an increasingly fragmented political environment.
He also confirmed that the King’s Speech would proceed as scheduled, with the government preparing to unveil a new legislative programme despite the growing political turmoil.
Some Labour MPs nevertheless rallied behind Starmer. Neil Coyle criticised colleagues calling for the prime minister’s removal, while Nick Smith argued that political stability and party unity were essential amid global economic and security challenges.
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