Cabinet split as Home Secretary 'turns on Starmer' over PM's future | LBC

The Home Secretary has told Sir Keir Starmer that his position is untenable after massive losses in the local elections last week

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told Sir Keir Starmer that he should resign as Prime Minister during a crunch Cabinet meeting at Downing Street.

Ms Mahmood, a former ally of the PM, has reportedly told Sir Keir that last week's local election losses and his lacklustre reset speech on Monday have left him with no option but to announce a timetable for his departure.

The advice is understood to be the first Cabinet minister to break ranks and call for Sir Keir to stand down amid a growing leadership crisis.

Labour lost over 1,400 councillors last Thursday, in results that have been interpreted as the public rebuking Sir Keir's flailing Labour government.

After an uninspiring attempt to reset his premiership, nearly 80 MPs have called on Sir Keir to either resign immediately or set out a timeline for a transition of power.

This group includes six MPs serving as parliamentary private secretaries (PPS) in the Government, all of whom have been replaced.

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Amid the growing anger, Sir Keir was visited by his Cabinet on Monday night, where the Home Secretary is reported to have told him that he should step aside.

It has also been reported in the Guardian that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper had joined Ms Mahmood's calls for Sir Keir to go, though this has been disputed by other news sources.

The Cabinet is reportedly split on the issue of Starmer's future, with the Guardian reporting that Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, advised Sir Keir to continue to fight for his ailing premiership.

The split comes ahead of a crunch Cabinet meeting at 9.30 am on Tuesday at Downing Street, which could prove to be curtains for Sir Keir.

Earlier today, a defiant Sir Keir said he took “responsibility” for the losses but would fight on.

“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I’ve got some doubters, including in my own party,” he said.

“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I have to prove them wrong, and I will.”

But the speech has seemingly failed to pacify rebellious MPs, with dozens now openly calling for him to go.

Labour MP Charlotte Nichols has told LBC's Cross Question with Iain Dale that she thinks that Sir Keir Starmer should resign.

The MP for Warrington North bluntly told Iain that she does not have confidence in the Prime Minster.

After watching Sir Keir's 'reset' speech on Monday, she compared his tenure to a meme of football manager Mick McCarthy to suggest his premiership could get worse from here.

When asked whether she retains confidence in Sir Keir, she said: "No".

After she was pressed by Iain about whether this means she had joined a 69-strong list of Labour MPs to call on Starmer to step down, she replied: "I suppose I am".

Ms Nichols said: "There are only so many people that you can sack for when you're a leader until it's at your door.

"And, you know, we didn't have local elections in Warrington last week, so there was a sort of more indirect misery, I suppose, for me than for some of my MPs and surrounding seats, where we went from Labour super majorities to one or two councillors in some of them.

"But I watched his speech today. The speech of his life and fighting for his career, and the thing that was going to hopefully change everything.

"And the only thing I could think of is that interview. It was Mick McCarthy, the former Blackpool manager, and they go to him and they say 'You've lost 17 games, Mick. It can't go on like this, can it?'

"And he turns to him and goes 'it can'. And I just thought it's done, it's over. It's time for someone else to come in."

Blue Labour, an internal pressure group, has called for the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure.

The group said in a statement on X: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

“Nothing has convinced us that he is able to rise to the challenge confronting this country.

“As the process unfolds, no candidate should be blocked from standing; the job is too important for factional warfare and NEC machinations.

“Labour must now navigate a very difficult transition to a new prime minister. It must avoid the danger of retreating back into its comfort zone in which it can pretend there are no hard choices and trade-offs in rebuilding the country.

“There is a hard road ahead. The people of our islands are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

“The next leader must have a clear programme of government and story to tell the British people about how we will get there.”