Labour rift over Keir Starmer’s fate deepens as three ministers quit

The Labour Party has descended into open division over Keir Starmer’s future, as three ministers resigned and joined at least 80 MPs urging him to quit, while more than 100 others warned against a leadership contest.

Prominent MP Jess Phillips was among the three junior ministers to exit Stamer’s government, piling pressure on him to go.

The Labour leader vowed to fight on at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, and was publicly backed by several loyal ministers.

A statement understood to have been signed by more than 100 Labour MPs, and not organised by Downing Street, urged colleagues to come together behind the UK prime minister.

The statement seen by the Press Association says: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

At least 83 out of Labour’s 403 MPs have demanded Sir Keir’s departure after the party’s electoral mauling last week, passing the threshold to trigger a leadership contest but without meeting the condition that they all line up behind a single challenger.

Phillips, the most high profile of the ministerial departures, criticised the Prime Minister’s failure to be “bold”.

Alex Davies-Jones, believed to be a supporter of leadership hopeful Wes Streeting, also quit the Home Office saying there had been a lack of “bold, radical action”.

Resigning housing minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, an ally of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said the public had lost trust in Sir Keir because of issues such as the scrapping of the winter fuel payment.

The UK prime minister earlier defied calls for him to vacate No 10, telling his Cabinet the country “expects us to get on with governing” and “that is what I am doing”.

He avoided being directly challenged as he declined to discuss his leadership during Tuesday’s gathering or meet critics individually afterwards, the Press Association understands.

Starmer said he would only speak to ministers one-to-one about his fate, but did not do so once Cabinet concluded, according to sources.

Downing Street’s readout said ministers had agreed that the “number one priority remains getting the Strait of Hormuz open again” as they discussed the Iran war in the meeting.

The UK prime minister chaired a Middle East Response Committee at lunchtime as planned, and he later met construction apprentices during a visit in London, although no reporters were invited.

However, a meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon between the Prime Minister and leaders of the unions affiliated to Labour – the so-called Tulo group – was cancelled.