Why UK PM Starmer is facing calls to resign and who could replace him
In the recent local elections in England, Scotland and Wales, the Labour Party of current Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a painful defeat.
The results of the 7-8 May elections became yet another challenge for Starmer, intensifying calls for his resignation.
And it's highly likely that the prime minister could eventually lose his position.
Voter dissatisfaction with the current government has benefited the populist party Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which achieved remarkable success in the local elections.
Read more in the article by European Pravda journalist Uliana Krychkovska: UK could lose its prime minister: how failure in local elections is pushing Starmer towards resignation.
Labour’s defeat in the local elections had been expected, but it was still shocking.
The number of seats in England’s local councils held by Labour decreased by nearly 1,300. The party also lost first place, with Reform UK emerging as the clear victor. The party won 1,454 seats – an increase of 1,372 councillors.
Following the disastrous election results, the prime minister admitted that the party had "made unnecessary mistakes". However, he promised to remain in office.
"I'm not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos. We were elected to deal with these challenges and that's what we're going to do," he assured.
Within the party, calls for a change in leadership are growing louder. As a result, Starmer is now forced to fight not only falling approval ratings but also open attempts to challenge his leadership.
Potential contenders for the leadership of the Labour Party, whose leader traditionally becomes prime minister, have begun preparing for a possible internal party struggle.
Among the most likely successors is current Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is considered one of the most prominent representatives of Labour’s new generation.
Another influential Labour figure who could challenge Starmer is his former deputy party leader Angela Rayner. She still retains strong influence among party activists and trade union supporters.
However, despite numerous attacks on the prime minister, more than 100 Labour MPs signed a statement stressing that now is not the time for a battle over party leadership and that Starmer should remain in office.
The prime minister himself also has no intention of stepping down.
Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stated that the election results indicate fundamental changes in British politics.
There is still a long time before the next parliamentary elections in 2029, and the political landscape may shift considerably, including for Labour, as current trends are not encouraging for the party.
Much will depend on how Labour overcomes its current internal crisis and whether the current Labour government can regain the trust of British voters.