British PM Reportedly Urged to Resign by His Own Cabinet Members After Suffering Devastating Electoral Losses: Report

(Press Association via AP Images)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is being pressured by a sizable chunk of his own party to resign after the Labour Party was hammered in local elections last week, according to Monday reports out of the U.K.

Bloomberg reported 55 Labour members of Parliament called for Starmer to quit on Monday, and The Economist correspondent Mike Bird reported that figure had climbed to 69 members by 8:00 p.m. local time. That would translate to nearly one out of every five Labour MPs, as the party presently holds 403 seats in Parliament.

On top of that, Sky News political editor Beth Rigby reported some Cabinet members are preparing to tell Starmer “the game is up.” The Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges reported soon after that four senior Cabinet members are heading to Downing Street on Monday night to tell Starmer it is time to resign.

Starmer delivered a speech on Monday aiming to rally support after the right-wing Reform UK party made substantial gains in the election. He also took blame for his party’s drubbing and the disenchantment many Brits feel about his government.

“I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics, and some people are frustrated with me,” Starmer said. “I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”

His speech appeared to do little to alleviate the political pressure he is now facing, though.

Rigby said on TV afterward that “on the substance of it, there wasn’t really much in it. It was really quite thin gruel.”

The outlet’s website detailed the heavy losses Labour suffered last week, including in districts that have been mainstays for the left-leaning party:

In quick succession, Labour lost control of Hartlepool, Redditch, and Tamworth, but it was its defeat in Tameside that underlined the extent of the electoral upheaval taking place.

With only a third of seats up for reselection, Labour lost 16 of the 17 seats the party was defending in the borough. The council had been under Labour control for 47 years.

Outside the United Kingdom, Starmer has also been bashed by President Donald Trump. The president ripped the U.K. for failing to offer help at the start of the Iran war, with Trump saying in March that “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”

Labour lost about 1,100 seats across all elections last week, while Reform gained around 1,400 seats. There were roughLy 5,000 seats up for grabs. The calls for Starmer to resign come less than two years after he became prime minister in July 2024.

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