The Labour Party is in the midst of a damning set of election results. At the time of writing, the party has lost almost 900 councillors, it no longer holds power in the Welsh Senedd, and has been almost wiped out by Reform in some areas of the north-west.
Labour MPs are furious. As a result, many of them have begun to question Keir Starmer’s position. After such a damaging set of elections, can the party continue on this track? Or, in order to avoid oblivion, is the question of a change of leadership now becoming unavoidable?
Here is the New Statesman’s rolling tracker of those who have publicly called for Starmer to go:
1. John McDonnell
McDonnell told LBC “we could lose the Labour party” under Keir Starmer’s leadership.
2. Ian Lavery
Lavery : “Keir Hardie started the Labour Party… It could be another Keir – Keir Starmer – that could end the party forever.”
3. Jonathan Brash
Brash reiterated his previous call for the Prime Minister to resign in an interview with .
4. Clive Lewis
Lewis on X that Starmer should set out a timeline for his departure.
5. Louise Haigh
Haighthat Starmer cannot lead Labour into another election.
6. Graham Stringer
Stringer : “I don’t think he can fight the next election if the Labour Party wants to survive.”
7. Connor Naismith
Naismith said in a statement: “In the wake of these catastrophic local elections results, with regret, it is clear to me that we need new leadership.”
8. Anneliese Midgley
Midgley it’s clear the PM cannot lead Labour into another election and called on him to set out a timeline for his departure.
9. Richard Burgon
Burgon said in a statement: “It is clear that Keir has fought his last election as Labour leader and, deep down, he will know it. The party should now work towards a timetable for an orderly transition to a new leader by the end of this year.”
10. Simon Opher
Opher said in a statement: “The Prime Minister cannot take our party into the next general election. We owe it to our members, elected representatives, and the country, to set aside pride and ambition.”
11. Olivia Blake
Blake : “The PM “needs to think about his position” and that there needs to be an “orderly plan” for a post-Starmer Labour party.
12. Sarah Owen
Owen : “Unless Keir Starmer delivers tangible change and truly connects with the public on a human level, he can’t lead us into another election (locally or nationally). People want politics and politicians who are up-front and true to their values.”
13. David Baines
Baines that Starmer is not the right person to lead Labour into the next general election.
14. Paula Barker
In a statement, Barker called on the PM to set a timeline for his resignation.
15. Ian Byrne
In a statement, Byrne said the PM must set a timeline for his departure.
16. Apsana Begum
In a statement on X, Begum said the party must change “both leadership and policy”.
17. Neil Duncan-Jordan
In a statement, Duncan-Jordan said: “We promised to do politics differently, but everything now looks tainted and grubby. All those responsible must seriously consider their positions.”
18. Chris Hinchliff
In a statement, Hinchliff called on the PM to resign.
19. Kim Johnson
Johnson told LBC: ““I personally don’t think think Keir will be leading us into the next election. Who will that person be? We don’t know.”
20. Ruth Jones
Jones told Times Radio: “I think the Prime Minister should consider his position.”
21. Andy McDonald
McDonald said in a statement: “We need a change of leader tied to change of policy – for a radical economic vision, with better incomes and higher living standards.”
22. Kate Osborne
Osborne said in a post on social media: “Keir needs to resign”.
23. Jon Trickett
Trickett told the BBC: “The message from my constituency is that it’s curtains for Keir.”
24. Nadia Whittome
In a statement, Whittome said: “I believe the Prime Minister should announce a timetable for his departure.”
25. Clive Betts
Betts said the public have “stopped listening” to Starmer and called on him to resign.
26. Catherine West
West said in a post on social media: “Keir should outline his intention to resign as Prime Minister and oversee an orderly transition.”
On Saturday 9 May, West said that if the cabinet does not remove Starmer from office immediately, then she will pose her own challenge on Monday.
27. Beccy Cooper
Cooper – one of the co-chairs of the soft-left Tribune group – re-tweeted Louise Haigh’s comments that Starmer cannot lead Labour into the next election.
28. Barry Gardiner
Gardiner told GB News that Starmer should step down, adding: “Leadership brings with it responsibilities, and this defeat is Keir Starmer’s responsibility.”
29. Abtisam Mohamed
In Mohamed called on Starmer to agree to a clear transition and timetable for his departure.
30. Tony Vaughan
Vaughan, a vocal critic of the government’s immigration policy, has said there should be “an orderly transition of leadership well before the local elections next year”. In , he said: “Labour needs a second term to renew this country after years of Tory failure. On the current trajectory, we won’t get there because we will lose, and Farage will win. That should be nobody’s legacy.”
31. Justin Madders
In a thread on X, Madders, a former minister, ally of Angela Rayner and executive member of the soft left Tribune group, has laid out his reaction to the results. He concludes: “Changing the person at the top is no guarantee that we can persuade the public we do have answers, but there will come a point soon when, without fundamental change, it will become necessary to do that to try to win back the trust we have lost.” Note he leaves the door open for Starmer to stay on condition there is “fundamental change”.
32. Terry Jermy
In a statement, Jermy said “Keir Starmer…needs to consider whether he is the right person to take the party and this government forward”
33. Imran Hussain
In a statement on X, “It is clear Keir Starmer has fought his last election as Labour leader, and I think he will know that too.”
34. Debbie Abrahams
Abrahams said: “Keir must do the right thing, put the country first and announce an orderly transition to a new leader.”
35. Brian Leishman
Leishman, who called for the Prime Minister to resign in February, said in a post on X: “If we don’t rediscover our radicalism then we are finished. Be real Labour.”
36. Josh Simons
Writing in The Times, Simons said: “I do not believe the prime minister can rise to this moment. He has lost the country. He should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.
37. Anna Dixon
Dixon that the Labour party should plan for an “orderly transition”.
38. Irene Campbell
Campbell said that while she would wait to hear what Starmer says tomorrow, “I believe that the solution is likely to be a full and democratic contest to allow an orderly transition of leadership and for this to be achieved by the end of the year.”
39. Cat Eccles
on social media: “If the leadership cannot deliver that change quickly and convincingly, then Keir Starmer must put the country and the party first and make way for a new leader capable of reconnecting Labour with the people it was elected to serve.”
40. Rachael Maskell
Maskell that the Prime Minister “cannot continue” but called for an orderly transition. She said: “This cannot be about personal ambition, but the people best placed to bring our Party and the country together. This requires a full discussion with the trade unions and Labour membership, as well as all parts of the Parliamentary Labour Party, to ensure that those most capable of taking our Party forward with the support of the people of our country have the opportunity to do so, whether currently in Parliament or not, and how the membership is given real choice as to who leads them in this next chapter of Labour’s story.”
41. Navendu Mishra
Mishra, a former Parliamentary Private Secretary to Angela Rayner told the Today programme that Starmer should set out a timeline for an orderly transition so “”the best people that could lead the Labour Party have the time to put forward their vision”.
42. David Smith
A member of the Blue Labour caucus, Smith said in a statement – posted while Starmer was making his speech this morning – Smith called on the Prime Minister to “set a clear timetable for his departure.” Smith added: “This departure should be ordered and dignified; for the PM himself, for the government but most of all for the sake of the country.”
43. Chris Curtis
In an interview with Sky News after Starmer’s speech, Curtis – the co-chair of the Labour Growth Group – called on the PM to set out a timetable for his departure.
44. Luke Myer
Myer said: “I listened carefully to the Prime Minister’s speech today. I think history will see him as a decent man, but we have to be honest that his leadership is not working. A change is needed.”
45. Catherine McKinnell
McKinnell said in a statement: “It’s become clear it’s time for a new leader to take us to the finish line of this term and onto the next”.
46. Alan Gemmell
Gemmell said in a statement: “I listened to the Prime Minister today. Sadly I don’t believe he can lead us to into, and win, the next election therefore he must now set a date for his departure.”
47. Emma Lewell
Lewell said: “The party needs a reboot and we need to have a serious think”.
48. Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Ribeiro-Addy said in a post on X: “It is clear the PM does not have a credible plan. He must now set out a timetable for departure.”
49. Paulette Hamilton
Hamilton said in a post on X: “Confidence is lost. Voters have stopped listening. Now, an orderly transition must follow, and change must come from the top.”
50. Julia Buckley
In a post on social media, Buckley called on Starmer to set a timeline for his departure.
51. Peter Lamb
Lamb – who called on the Prime Minister to resign earlier this year, told Labour List: “I’ve never stopped calling for a timetable”.
52. Euan Stainbank
In a post on social media, Stainbank said: “Firstly, the PM must set out a process for his departure & we must quickly reflect on the strategy and leadership north and south of the border which enabled this 5th SNP term.”
53. Lorraine Beavers
Beavers said in a post on X: “We must have a new leader in place well in advance of next year’s local elections.”
54. Fred Thomas
Thomas, who won Plymouth Moor View from the Tories in 2024, said on X: “sadly it is clear now that to deliver on our promise of change and to secure Britain’s future, we must look to a new leader.”
55. Sarah Smith
“I have regretfully concluded that he is unable to lead us into future elections. I urge the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for an orderly transition by the end of 2026,” she said in a statement.
56. Jas Athwal
Wes Streeting’s neighbour, the MP for Ilford South, said on X: “it is in the national interest for Sir Keir Starmer to step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. This must happen in a smooth, dignified and orderly way so the Party can choose new leadership and get back to the work people elected us to do.”
57. Jo Platt
“As a movement we cannot progress under this leadership. That is why I am calling on the Prime Minister to announce a clear and measured timetable for his resignation,” the Leigh and Atherton MP said in a statement.
58. Tonia Antoniazzi
In a statement on X, Antoniazzi said: “There will be those that disagree with me but I think it is genuinely time for him to step aside as PM in an orderly manner. I will make a further statement tomorrow.”
59. Alex Ballinger
In a statement on X, Ballinger said: “I like the Prime Minister, he is a good and decent man. But it’s clear from countless doorstep conversations that my constituents have lost confidence in him. Disastrous local election results across the Black Country only confirm this.”
60. Sally Jameson
Jameson, a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Home Office said in a statement on Facebook: “I now feel that the Prime Minister should set out a clear timetable for his departure.”
61. Joe Morris
Morris, Wes Streeting’s PPS has called his whip to tell them he is resigning, as Ailbhe Rea.
62. Tom Rutland
In a statement posted to X, Rutland – a PPS at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – resigned from his post and called on the PM to set a timetable for his departure.
63. Sam Carling
In a statement on X, Carling said: “The Prime Minister needs to step down for the sake of our movement and the people we serve.”
64. Naushabah Khan
Khan resigned as a PPS to the cabinet office adding: “I am calling for new leadership, so that we can rebuild trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.”
65. Yuan Yang
Yang – a member of the executive of the soft-left Tribune group that the “Prime Minister should set out a clear timeline for his departure.”
66. Rachel Taylor
Taylor said in a statement: “With a genuinely heavy heart, I am calling on Keir Starmer to announce a timetable for his departure.”
67. Lee Pitcher
Pitcher said in a Facebook post: “The Prime Minister is a decent man who has done much to stabilise our economy and champion Britain abroad. There is so much this Labour Government should be proud of. But it is now clear a new direction is required.”
68. Melanie Ward
Ward resigned from her post as a PPS to David Lammy and called on Starmer to resign as PM, and to set out a rapid timetable for the election of a replacement.
69. Ben Goldsborough
Goldsborough said in a statement: “I believe our movement can still deliver the change people desperately want and deserve. But I no longer believe the Prime Minister can lead that change.”
70. Mary Kelly Foy
Kelly Foy said in a statement: “The best thing that could happen now is for the Prime Minister to set out a clear timetable for his departure.”
71. Charlotte Nichols
Nichols she thinks Starmer should resign.
72. Alex McIntyre
In a statement on Facebook, McIntyre said: “I have tonight, with regret, added my name to the letter calling for a change of leadership of the Labour Party and the country.”
73. Maureen Burke
In a statement, Burke said: “With a heavy heart, I am calling on the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure.
74. Sarah Hall
Hall said in a statement on X: “I am calling on the Prime Minister to set out a clear timetable for his resignation.”
75. Gordon McKee
McKee said in a statement on X: “It’s clear that the Prime Minister no longer has the trust or confidence of the public, or large swathes of the Parliamentary Labour Party, to lead this change, and he should resign to bring this to an end.”
76. Matt Bishop
In a statement, the Forest of Dean MP said he was “withdrawing my support for the Prime Minister’s leadership”.
77. Richard Baker
The MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife said: “Keir Starmer has shown courage in reforming our party. Now he must show the courage to continue to serve it by resigning.”
78. Miatta Fahnbulleh
Fahnbulleh, a rising star of the soft left, is the first government minister to quit. She had served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. She has called for an “orderly transition”.
79. James Asser
The West Ham and Beckton MP has said it is time for Starmer to “stand aside”.
80. Paul Foster
“We need a new leader with the vision to take us into the next chapter,” says the South Ribble MP.
81. Tahir Ali
In a statement on X, Ali said: “It is clear the current leadership needs a total change in direction. We can’t keep coasting without a real vision. It’s time to stop the excuses and take serious steps to get this party back on track. The first step is for Keir Starmer to step down. But that is only the first step, we need to make sure real change follows.”
82. Rebecca Long-Bailey
In a statement on X, Long-Bailey said: “It is clear that Keir must end this chaos now and set a reasonable timetable for an orderly transition to a new leader.”
83. Lizzi Collinge
In a statement, Collinge said: “I am now calling on the Prime Minister to step back and arrange an orderly transition to new leadership.”
84. Alex Sobel
Sobel said: “The Prime Minister needs to announce a date for his departure so we can have an open contest and an orderly transition. A rushed contest following an immediate challenge doesn’t serve the best interests of the Country”.
85. Jess Phillips
The Minister for Safeguarding – who is a friend of Streeting – resigned from the government on Tuesday (12 May). In a statement, she said: “‘I want a Labour government to work and I will strive as I always have for its success and popularity, but I’m not seeing the change I think I, and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership”.
86. Alex Davies-Jones
Davies-Jones, the minister for violence against women and girls became the third minister to resign from the government on Tuesday afternoon (12 May). In her letter, Davies-Jones wrote to the Prime Minister: “I implore you to act in the country’s interest and set out a timetable for your departure.”
87. Zubir Ahmed
A health minister under Streeting, Ahmed resigned from government and said in a letter to Starmer: “It is clear from recent days, that the public across the UK has now irretrievably lost confidence in you as Prime Minister.” He called on the Prime Minister to set out a clear timetable for his resignation.
88. Graeme Downie
In a statement Downie said the Prime Minister should “step down and allow others to build on the foundations he has laid.”
89. Jen Craft
Craft said in a post on X: “It is after much consideration, and with a heavy heart, I have decided the Prime Minister must step aside.”
90. Kevin McKenna
In a statement, McKenna said: “I believe it is now time for a new Prime Minister to lead our party and to deliver on the commitments we made to this country.”
91. Andrew Ranger
In a statement, Ranger called for the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure in order to ensure an orderly change of Labour leadership.
92. Josh Fenton-Glynn
Fenton-Glynn told BBC Five Live: “Given the events of today and the local elections, it’s very difficult to imagine a world where the Prime Minister leads us into the next election.”
93. Jonathan Hinder
Hinder said in a post on Facebook: “With great sadness, I have concluded that Keir Starmer must resign as Prime Minister, allowing for an orderly transition to a new leader.
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94. Markus Campbell-Savours
Campbell-Savours said in a post on X: “I have listened carefully to the Prime Minister’s speech. Sir Keir Starmer is a decent, principled and kind man. But his leadership is not working, and it is with genuine regret that I say so.”
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95. Wes Streeting
In a statement announcing his resignation as Health Secretary, Streeting said in a letter to Starmer: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism. It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.”
96. Bill Esterson
, “Keir has to announce he is stepping down in the national interest and allow people to support their preferred candidate to take the country forward. It is clearly unsustainable for him to continue.”
97. Rosie Wrighting
Wrighting – a PPS under Streeting – resigned from her post and said in a statement: “We need a vision, an open debate of ideas about how we move forward from this moment, with the best field of candidates that our movement has.”
[Further reading: Live results map: Wales, Scotland and local elections]