Starmer latest: PM lays down gauntlet to challengers as cabinet allies back him over Labour rebellion

New data shows Sir Keir Starmer’s government’s approval rating is just 14 per cent.

YouGov’s poll shows a disapproval rate of 70 per cent, up six per cent on last week’s poll.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Sir Keir Starmer is said to have refused to speak to individual Cabinet ministers; but insisted he would only talk to them about local election results or leadership if they spoke one-on-one.

Government sources have told the media that despite the show of unity after this morning’s meeting, the Prime Minister did not allow the Cabinet to raise leadership concerns about him.

Perhaps the Cabinet is less united than it briefly appears.

Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir Starmer to resign following Labour’s disastrous local election results, with more than 80 of his own MPs speaking out against him.

The Prime Minister vowed to continue in his role despite the calls, saying he “takes responsibility” for the results in his speech on Monday, but added: “I also take responsibility for delivering the change we promised for the stronger and fairer Britain we need to build.”

But the Labor leader could still face a leadership race if at least 81 of the party’s MPs – 20 per cent of parliamentary members – back a single challenger to oppose him.

Here’s what the bookmakers think of his chances:

While calling on Sir Keir Starmer to resign, a Labor MP claimed that the Mandelson scandal was a “turning point” for the British public.

Labor MP Alex Sobel called against a “rushed” contest, saying the prime minister had failed to “challenge the status quo” with his speech on Monday and should have “announced a date for his departure so that we can have an open race and an orderly transition”.

He said: “The real turning point for public opinion was the resignation of Peter Mandelson and the subsequent announcements of his appointment, and I have yet to hear that properly acknowledged by the prime minister.

“That moment represented a loss of trust in him personally, and I heard that over and over again in the doorway.”

He added: “But the prime minister needs to do what is best for the country and his party, not for himself. “I want to give him time and space to make that decision but the message is clear now.

“There’s a deeper problem here with leadership, character and integrity. Integrity matters in politics. You can’t tell people their lives are better if they don’t feel it.”

“If you have to explain to someone that their life is better because of government policy, that’s a failure of communication. If the person thinks their life is worse, that’s a failure of policy.”

“The Prime Minister’s speech yesterday did not challenge the status quo and failed to articulate the radical social change the country needs. The Prime Minister needs to announce the date of his departure so that we can have open competition and an orderly transition.

“A rushed contest following an urgent challenge is not in the country’s best interests at a time of war in the Middle East, which has a globally destabilizing effect.”

Britain’s long-term borrowing costs rose to a 28-year high and the pound weakened as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership came under increasing pressure.

The yield on 30-year UK government bonds, also known as gilts, rose as much as 13 basis points to 5.807 per cent in Tuesday morning trading, reaching the highest level since 1998 as Sir Keir faces growing calls to resign from his own party.

Andy Burnham was seen arriving in London this afternoon amid the turmoil surrounding Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

The reason for the Greater Manchester mayor’s visit is not clear at this time.

There is a widespread view that Mr Burnham is a popular choice to replace Sir Keir in the leadership contest. A YouGov poll published on Tuesday showed he was the only potential replacement candidate a significant number of Britons would support.

But Mr Burnham is not currently an MP and must win a local by-election and return to Westminster to become prime minister.

It is less than two years since Sir Keir Starmer led the victorious Labor Party back to Downing Street after more than a decade of Conservative rule.

Instead of the hope and promise of a fresh start for England, Sir Keir’s situation looks increasingly precarious just 22 months later.

You can read the timeline of his Prime Ministry below:

Suspended Labor MP Karl Turner called on the prime minister to resign, branding him “not the person I believed him to be”.

The East Hull MP wrote in a post on

“The country needs a stable government and Labor must now act in the interests of both the nation and our movement,” he wrote.

“It would be extremely irresponsible to allow the current situation to continue.”