Daily Finland
More than 100 Labour lawmakers have signed a statement backing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and urging the party to avoid a leadership contest, as pressure mounted on the Labour leader following the fourth ministerial resignation on Tuesday, reported Xinhua. According to Britain's Guardian newspaper, the pro-Starmer statement was coordinated by Labour backbenchers and signed by 103 members of parliament, including several parliamentary private secretaries. "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," the statement said. "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," it added. The Guardian report said that organizers insisted the initiative did not originate from Downing Street, although some lawmakers said the letter had been circulated by government whips. The reported number of signatories exceeds the number of Labour lawmakers publicly calling for Starmer to resign or announce a timetable for his departure. British media estimates suggest more than 80 Labour lawmakers have now urged him to quit. Meanwhile, the latest ministerial resignation came from Zubir Ahmed, a health minister and ally of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who said he had lost confidence in Starmer's leadership. "It is clear from recent days that the public across the UK has now irretrievably lost confidence in you as prime minister," Ahmed wrote in his resignation letter to Starmer. In addition to Ahmed, three junior ministers resigned from government on Tuesday, intensifying speculation over Starmer's political future after Labour's heavy losses in last week's local elections. Starmer told cabinet ministers earlier on Tuesday that he would not step down unless a formal leadership challenge was triggered.
Go to News Site