LONDON (AP) 鈥� British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is after for his Labour Party spurred dozens of lawmakers to call for his resignation.
Starmer plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government鈥檚 fortunes. But his position is fragile as rivals weigh their options. One lawmaker, Catherine West, said she will try to trigger a leadership contest if she doesn鈥檛 like what she hears in the speech.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, often seen as a potential challenger, said the party 鈥渘eeds to change,鈥� though she did not explicitly call for Starmer to go.
She said 鈥渢he prime minister must now meet the moment and set out the change our country needs.鈥�
Starmer is trying to regain momentum after heavy losses for his center-left party in local elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales. Last week鈥檚 elections were widely seen as on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he swept to power in a landslide .
His government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by on issues including welfare reform. He has been further hurt by his disastrous decision to appoint , a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain鈥檚 ambassador to Washington.
Last week鈥檚 elections saw Labour squeezed from both right and left, losing votes to both the anti-immigration Reform UK and the 鈥渆co-populist鈥� Green Party. It reflects the increasing fragmentation of British politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.
Still, Starmer told The Observer newspaper on Sunday that he wants to remain in office for a decade. He鈥檚 pinning his hopes on Monday鈥檚 speech and an ambitious set of legislative plans to be set out in a speech Wednesday by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.
A key policy is closer ties with the European Union, which the United Kingdom left in 2020, four years after the 鈥渓eave鈥� side narrowly won a membership referendum. Starmer鈥檚 government has already moved to ease some of the trade restrictions that have burdened British businesses since Brexit, and he says he will secure a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the continent.
鈥淏rexit has held back our young people,鈥� Starmer told The Observer, adding that 鈥渨e have to be closer to Europe.鈥�
Labour campaigned to stay in the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign, but has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country. Starmer has ruled out seeking to reenter the EU, or to rejoin the EU鈥檚 customs union or single market, two things that would make a big difference to U.K. businesses.
Starmer鈥檚 future hangs in the balance
None of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers to Starmer 鈥� including Rayner, Health Secretary and Greater Manchester Mayor 鈥� has called for him to resign.
But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.
Josh Simons, a formerly loyal Labour lawmaker, wrote in the Times of London that Starmer 鈥渉as lost the country鈥� and 鈥渟hould take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister.鈥�
West, a former junior minister, is trying to hurry the process along, vowing to try to trigger a leadership contest unless Starmer delivers a barnstorming speech on Monday. West acknowledged she does not have the support of 81 colleagues, needed to force a contest, and her move appeared to be an attempt to force more high-profile contenders to make a move.
鈥淲orking people sent us a message,鈥� West said. 鈥淲e have to listen to that, and we have to change and we have to do it quickly.鈥�
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