Starmer launches political fight, puts ties with Europe at center of reset amid calls for resignation
Kyiv • UNN
British PM Keir Starmer plans to restore relations with Europe amid efforts to save the government. More than 30 MPs are demanding his resignation following the elections.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will launch a political fight on Monday in a speech in which he will say that rebuilding relations with the rest of Europe will be the defining mission of his government, as he attempts to quell growing calls for his resignation, Reuters reports, according to UNN.
Details
As Politico notes, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will "make it clear he does not want to go" in a high-profile speech today, watched by an unimpressed jury of Labour MPs and leadership hopefuls who spent the weekend discussing their options privately, and in some cases publicly. Depending on how things go, events could start moving very quickly. "The immediate fallout from Starmer’s speech will determine whether he survives the week," the publication observes.
Reuters indicates that Starmer's future has come into question after his Labour Party suffered a heavy defeat in local elections last week, and a former minister threatened to seek lawmaker support for a leadership challenge unless he offers radical change.
More than 30 lawmakers from Starmer's party have called on him to resign or set a timetable for his departure following the local election defeat, the worst for a governing party in more than three decades.
In his latest government reset, Starmer will state that "incremental change will not be enough" and that the scale of reform needed to revive the economy, rebuild the British military, and strengthen energy security is greater than he realized, according to excerpts of the speech released by his office.
While the excerpts did not announce any new policies, Starmer will say his government "will be defined by rebuilding our relationships and placing Britain at the heart of Europe," nearly a decade after the UK voted to leave the European Union.
The promise to deepen ties with Europe would be popular among Labour lawmakers and many younger voters, as polls show that around 60% of Britons now consider leaving the EU a mistake.
However, efforts to rebuild relations raise difficult questions, including whether to allow more immigration from Europe in exchange for better access to European Union markets, and are likely to face resistance from right-wing Eurosceptic parties and parts of the British media.
Starmer won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history in 2024, promising to grow the economy, reduce illegal immigration, and cut waiting lists in the state health service.
However, progress has been hampered by policy U-turns, a perception among some members of his party that he is unwilling to make tough decisions, and a series of political scandals that have contributed to some of the lowest approval ratings of any British prime minister, the publication writes.
Acknowledging that his government has sometimes failed to deliver the change voters desired, Starmer will say that "people need hope" and that he is ready to "face the big challenges" Britain is confronting, according to speech excerpts.
Pressure on Starmer intensified after his former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner warned on Sunday that the Labour Party could be facing a "last chance" to change direction.
Another Labour lawmaker, Catherine West, a little-known former junior minister, called on the cabinet over the weekend to remove the Prime Minister. She warned that if he does not do so by Monday, and if she is dissatisfied with the content of the Prime Minister's speech, she will attempt to initiate a leadership contest herself.
But the Labour Party, in its more than 125-year history, has never once removed one of its prime ministers.
Under party rules, to trigger a leadership contest, 20% of the parliamentary party, or 81 lawmakers, must declare support for a single candidate.
So far, none of those considered Starmer's main potential rivals have come out against him.
One of the favorites to replace Starmer, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is not a Member of Parliament and cannot challenge him.
The threat to Prime Minister Starmer, less than two years after his election victory, is the latest example of how Britain is becoming increasingly difficult to govern, the publication notes.
If Starmer is removed from office in the coming weeks, Britain will have its seventh prime minister in the last decade, representing the highest level of political turnover in nearly two centuries.
Analysts point to several factors behind this trend, including relatively low economic growth since the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, strained public finances—especially after heavy borrowing during the COVID-19 pandemic—and political polarization following Brexit.
UK elections could end in 'Starmergeddon' for the Prime Minister – media07.05.26, 12:10 • 4233 views