Labour MP Catherine West: ‘Why I have issued leadership threat to Starmer’

A Labor MP has called on cabinet leaders to challenge Sir Keir Starmer by Monday – or will – following the party’s disastrous local election results.

Hornsey and Friern Barnet MP Catherine West, who was sacked by Sir Keir as a junior minister at the Foreign Office, said the cabinet should “reorganise themselves” and put forward its “best communicator” to replace the prime minister to avoid a rivalry. If that doesn’t happen, he said he will seek out the 80 names needed to trigger a contest.

To talk IndependentMs West said: “Last week we had appalling election results and our response so far does not match the emergency we face. I fear we will end up with Prime Minister Farage.”

His intervention came after Sir Keir recruited party veterans Gordon Brown and Baroness Harriet Harman to secure his flagging premiership.

As the extent of Labour’s failures at the local polls become clear, Independent He also learned that some senior ministers were trying to block the leadership election but feared former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner could launch a coup as early as next week. Meanwhile, support for energy secretary Ed Miliband, health secretary Wes Streeting and defense secretary Al Carns is growing.

Ms West’s move comes after Labor MPs speculated that serious candidates to replace Sir Keir, including Ms Rayner and Mr Streeting, were waiting for a “stalking horse” who would “let them in”. To talk IndependentMr Streeting said he would welcome Mr Miliband, Ms Rayner or education minister Bridget Phillipson taking over as leader and prime minister. But he warned time was up for Labor, with an election due in two to three years.

“We need to be equipped for this because it will be the fight of our lives. We must undertake reform and put forward a vision of a centrist country where people can truly get behind.”

Ms West, who is originally from Australia, added that the urgency of the task meant it was no longer possible to wait for Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who must win a by-election to become an MP, for the takeover bid.

Ms West had been in contact with party leaders about her intentions, including party chair Anna Turley and Ms Phillipson, who will go on a morning media tour with her on Sunday.

He said: “Basically, the cabinet needs to come into the room, close the door and sort it out amongst themselves. Give Keir some kind of role. He’s very good at international relations. I think there are very good people, not just in the cabinet… Dust off your CV, get in there.”

Downing Street did not comment on Ms West’s challenge but in a bid to win back the party faithful, the prime minister appointed Mr Brown, once described by Tony Blair as a “big puncher”, as his special envoy for global finance and appointed former deputy leader Baroness Harman as his adviser on violence against women and girls.

Sir Keir greeted them both on the steps of Downing Street on Saturday and ignored questions about his future, but his attempt to engage his cabinet behind his back on Friday night backfired after many senior figures remained silent.

One ally claimed Mr Streeting was “waiting for another candidate to come first before entering the fray”. Others who did not openly support the Prime Minister were home secretary Shabana Mahmood, energy minister Ed Miliband, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, all of whom have been identified as possible leadership candidates.

Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines commander who has growing support among Labor MPs, also specifically refrained from offering his support. An ally of Mr Carns added: “Al’s problem is that if he jumps he is seen as a stalking horse. Wes [Streeting] and the others want him to leave so that they too can come in.”

Pressure was mounting on the prime minister, with at least eight Labor MPs publicly demanding he set a timetable for Sir Keir’s departure, and more privately saying he could not take them through the next election.

The last person to speak was Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash, who has seen Reformation sweep his district. He said: “I prefer the party conference [in September]but setting the timeline is a critical thing.

Someone else told me Independent “It’s not just MPs on the left who want him gone” and one formerly loyal MP said: “The mood in general is terrible, as you can imagine. I’m not saying anything publicly at the moment but clearly we can’t have an election with him as leader.”

A second minister said: “Our current fear is that Angela will become our version of Liz Truss.”

A source close to Ms Rayner denied speculation she could put forward a bid as early as next week, but talk of Mr Burnham being brought in as an MP as a “unifying figure” to lead the party appears to have united ministers with left-wing rebels.

There was speculation that MPs were told they would be eligible if they stood aside for Mr Burnham. But one MP warned: “Given what has just happened, I’m not sure where Andy Burnham would stand and win a seat, even if someone were willing to resign to give him the opportunity.”

Labour’s weak polling meant Reform won the majority of council seats in north-west England, including all 22 seats in Wigan and 16 of 17 seats in the Tameside Council area, which includes Ms Rayner’s constituency.

Sir Keir continued his fight, admitting the party needed to do more to convince voters in a video posted on social media on Saturday. He said: “It’s important that we think about and respond to these consequences. We haven’t done enough to offer people hope for the future.”

With a major speech planned for Monday, he added: “I will chart the path ahead in the coming days.”