Starmer refuses to quit as ministers resign around him

British prime minister Keir Starmer told his cabinet he had no intention of resigning. Several ministers and more than 90 Labour members of Parliament had called on him to resign or to set a timetable for a new party leader later in the year. Four ministers then resigned. They were Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones, Miatta Fahnbulleh, and Jess Phillips.

A prime minister who loses the confidence of his own parliamentary party can be forced out even without a general election. More than 90 MPs is a large internal revolt, though it is not by itself a formal no-confidence vote in the House of Commons. Starmer's reply to the cabinet was that he would stay. The four resignations followed that refusal.

Wes Streeting then resigned as secretary of state for health and social care. He said he had lost confidence in Starmer after the recent local elections. The health secretary is one of the senior posts in the cabinet. Streeting's exit is a further departure on top of the four ministers who left when Starmer refused to go.

Josh Simons stepped down as the member of Parliament for Makerfield. The resignation is meant to open a by-election so that Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, can try to enter Parliament. Burnham is widely seen as the favorite to replace Starmer if Labour holds a leadership election. Burnham confirmed that he had asked the party's National Executive Committee for permission to stand in that by-election.

A leadership challenge needs a candidate who can sit in the Commons, which is why a by-election matters for a mayor who is not currently an MP. The local elections were the results in which Labour lost ground in Wales and elsewhere. Streeting tied his resignation to those results and to confidence in the prime minister. The report does not say that a leadership ballot has been opened.

Keir Starmer remains prime minister and says he will not resign. More than 90 Labour MPs asked him to go, four ministers quit, and Wes Streeting left the health job. Josh Simons has vacated Makerfield so Andy Burnham can seek the seat. The health secretary's resignation was reported on May 14.