Which Labour MPs are calling for Starmer to go – and who is still backing PM?

A growing number of Labour MPs are calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign or announce a timetable for his resignation after the party performed dismally in local and devolved elections.

Labour has lost control of more than a dozen councils across England, along with more than 800 councillors, while the party has been reduced to a rump in Wales, with First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat in the Senedd.

Scottish Labour has failed to make any significant headway against the SNP, with their vote share down on the last election in 2021.

As of 6pm on Friday, two dozen Labour MPs are now calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation, with ten calling for him to quit as Labour leader in the last 24 hours.

However, several high-ranking MPs have expressed their support for Keir Starmer, including Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who told the BBC: “He [Starmer] is not going to go, and he’s not going to set a timetable.”

Here is LabourList’s tracker of MPs calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation – as well as those opposed to any change of the party’s leadership. We will update this over the weekend as more MPs signal their position…

Full list of Labour MPs calling for Starmer’s resignation or timetable for departure

David Baines (St Helens North)

David Baines told the BBC that Keir Starmer is not the right person to lead Labour into the next general election. He said: “When you’re the leader, the buck stops with you. There’s no doubt his popularity has plummeted and we’ve heard it on the doorstep.”

Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse)

In a post on social media, Begum said the election results “point to one of the most unpopular Labour Governments in modern history”. She said: “To avert the ultimate disaster of a Reform Government, there needs to be a superspeed change, in both leadership and policy.”

Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam)

Olivia Blake told The Independent that Keir Starmer “needs to think about his position” and that there needs to be an “orderly plan” for a post-Starmer Labour Party.

Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool)

Jonathan Brash called on the Prime Minister to resign in April – and said it was a case of “if, not when” Starmer will leave Downing Street. Brash has repeated his comments since the local election results and said Starmer should “set out a timetable for his departure”.

Richard Burgon (Leeds East)

Richard Burgon, secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group, said: “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.”

Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby)

Ian Byrne called on the Prime Minister to consider his future in February over the Mandelson scandal. He said at the time: “The Prime Minister must now reflect honestly his own position and ask whether, for the good of the country and the Labour Party, he should follow Morgan McSweeney’s lead.”

Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole)

Neil Duncan-Jordan also called on Keir Starmer to consider his position over the Mandelson saga in February. He said at the time: “The entire Mandelson affair has highlighted some really fundamental issues around trust, confidence and judgement. We promised to do politics differently, but everything now looks tainted and grubby. All those responsible must seriously consider their positions.”

Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley)

Former Transport Secretary and co-chair of the Tribune Group Louise Haigh said that Keir Starmer “cannot lead us into another election” unless there is significant change. She told ITV: “He [Keir Starmer] is doing an incredible job on the international stage in the middle of global instability and a war, and it is imperative that he is successful in that role because our constituents’ livelihoods are dependent on it, but I think what is abundantly clear is that unless the government delivers significant and urgent change, then the Prime Minister cannot lead us into another election.”

Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire)

Chris Hinchliff called on Keir Starmer to resign in February over the appointment of Peter Mandelson. He told the Bishop’s Stortford Independent at the time: “It should have been absolutely clear from the get-go that a known associate of a convicted paedophile and sex trafficker was not an appropriate person to appoint as our ambassador to the United States. Nothing has come forward that explains why that decision was made or that can make that decision credible. So I’m afraid that I do now believe the Prime Minister should resign.”

Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside)

Speaking to LBC, Kim Johnson said: “I personally don’t think think Keir will be leading us into the next election. Who will that person be? We don’t know.”

Ruth Jones (Newport West and Islywn)

Ruth Jones told Times Radio that the Prime Minister should “consider his position” after Welsh Labour was reduced to just nine seats in the Senedd. She said: “He [Keir] needs to be a bit more reticent about what he’s saying about carrying on forever. I think he needs to listen to the message that has been given to him as well.” However, she stopped short of calling for a timetable for his departure.

Peter Lamb (Crawley)

Peter Lamb called on Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure in February over the Mandelson saga. He told ITV at the time: “Everyone knows there’s going to be a leadership election come May. My view is the Prime Minister should do the responsible thing now, he should set out a timetable for his departure in May to enable the Labour Party to get on with electing a new leader.”

Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington)

Speaking to The World at One after local and devolved election results, Ian Lavery said that Labour is “on the road to utter annihilation”. He said: “Keir Hardie started the Labour Party… It could be another Keir – Keir Starmer – that could end the party forever.” He said that the party needed not just a new leader but a “new political programme”.

Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth)

After Anas Sarwar called on Keir Starmer to resign in February, Brian Leishman said: “I have said that Keir Starmer’s position is untenable and that it is in the country’s best interest for him to step down and for the Government to have a change in direction. That change is to govern with real Labour values. That is what people voted for in 2024, and what we should deliver.”

Clive Lewis (Norwich South)

Clive Lewis said that the local election results are an “existential moment for Labour” that “will not be fixed by another speech, another comms reset or another reshuffle”. In a post on social media, he said: “We cannot pretend this is a ‘bad night’, a difficult cycle, or a messaging problem. It is a political crisis, and unless we face it honestly, it risks becoming terminal.

“The Prime Minister has reached the point where the question is no longer whether he can recover. It is whether, by staying on, he does lasting damage to Labour’s ability to govern, rebuild trust, and stop the advance of the right.

“That is why a timetable for his departure is now necessary. The longer this is delayed, the greater the damage to the party and the country.”

Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley)

Anneliese Midgley told The Guardian: “The results here and across the North are beyond our worst expectations. It’s truly devastating. Unless that changes significantly and quickly it’s clear the PM can’t lead us into another election. It was a mistake to block Andy Burnham in Gorton & Denton and if a situation arises, he should not be blocked again.”

Connor Naismith (Crewe and Nantwich)

In a thread on social media, Connor Naismith said: “In the wake of these catastrophic local elections results, with regret, it is clear to me that we need new leadership. Leadership which is capable of bringing together a broad coalition of voters to stop the Thatcherite politics of Reform UK. The world is in a turbulent place so any transition of power should be orderly, and should facilitate voices from across our movement to chart the course for what we do next. That must include giving Andy Burnham the opportunity to re-enter parliament if an opportunity arises.”

Simon Opher (Stroud)

In a statement, Simon Opher said that the Prime Minister “cannot take our party into the next general election”. He said: “We need an orderly transition that brings together the very best talents across the Labour Party to deliver the change this country so desperately needs and to stop the far right from entering Number 10.”

Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East)

In a post on social media, Kate Osborne said she blames the party leadership for the dismal results Labour faced and that “Keir needs to resign”.

Euan Stainbank (Falkirk)

Euan Stainbank called for Keir Starmer to resign in February “to allow for new leadership of our party and our country”. He said: “While I welcome the honest apology for this decision shown by the Prime Minister in the last week, I have seen no indication that the necessary approach to government my community needs is likely to change under his leadership. For the good of the country and the Labour Government, I agree with Anas Sarwar in his assessment yesterday that it is time for the Prime Minister to resign to allow for new leadership for the country.”

Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South)

Graham Stringer told Talk TV: “I don’t think he [Keir Starmer] can fight the next election if the Labour Party wants to survive.”

Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth)

Speaking to the BBC, Jon Trickett said that the Prime Minister “has been a problem for us” on the doorstep and said: “The message from my constituency is that it’s curtains for Keir.”

Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East)

In a post on social media, Nadia Whittome criticised the Labour leadership for “doubling down” on “Reform-lite… policies” and said Labour needs to recognise its duty to working-class people. She said: “We did not secure a historic majority in 2024 to be tepid in government, to punish the most vulnerable or to mimic our opponents. From housing to our hollowed-out public services, the country faces interlocking crises that demand bold policies and a progressive government with the courage to deliver them. With this in mind, I believe the Prime Minister should announce a timetable for his departure.”

Sarah Owen (Luton North)

Co-chair of the Tribune Group Sarah Owen told The Times: “The public’s message to the Prime Minister is clear – and it is now do or die for the Labour leadership.

“The Labour government at its best has made some headway on reversing austerity, bringing in new rights for workers and renters, and taking children out of poverty but that has not been fast or far enough for people to really feel it in their pockets, and see it their communities.

“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 upfront and true to their values.”

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