Keir Starmer’s statement to cabinet this morning (see 9.48am ) was carefully worded.
At the weekend Starmer gave an interview to the Observer. resulted in the paper reporting that he wanted 10 more years in No 10. That was subsequently viewed as a mistake, reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher saying she would “go on. on” and Boris Johnson saying he was planning for his third term in office. These were moments of hubris that alarmed even the leaders’ supporters.
In his statement Starmer does not say he definitely intends to stay on until the next election. He refers to the argument he made in his speech yesterday about instability being bad for the country. he refers to the fact that no one has triggered a leadership contest. But he does not even say how he would respond to such a challenge,. so – although he indicates that he is staying on – he leaves open the possibility that, if there is a challenge, he might announce plans to resign.
What Starmer is doing, though, is throwing down a challenge,. it is aimed at one minister in particular; he’s telling Wes Streeting: “Have a go if you’re hard enough.”
Streeting may be the the only person in cabinet capable of getting the 81 names needed to launch a leadership challenge. Until now, he has said that he won’t challenge Starmer,. he has been acting as if he has been expecting others to make that contest happen.
Now, it seems, if Streeting wants a contest, he is going to have to trigger it himself.
Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor. potential Labour leadership candidate, has arrived at Euston in London today, the Telegraph is reporting. It is not known yet why he is in the capital.
Rory Carroll is the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent.
Whatever the outcome of Labour’s leadership crisis. nationalists in Northern Ireland say the prospect of a Nigel Farage-led government should galvanise preparations for a referendum on Irish unification.
“The fact that it is hard to predict how Farage would act in office is its own argument for proper planning for all scenarios,” Matthew O’Toole, the Stormont leader of the Social Democratic. Labour party ( SDLP ), wrote in an Irish Times op-ed today.
The Reform leader’s radically different approach to British-Irish relations should focus minds on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. which voted against Brexit, said O’Toole.
double quotation mark At what point are citizens in the north entitled to say they do not want to live in a country run by Farage? That question goes far beyond the constituency traditionally defined as nationalist,. includes many people – and many in my constituency from unionist backgrounds – who are horrified at the prospect of a UK run by and for the coterie of charlatans and spivs that surround Farage.
O’Toole urged the Irish government to prepare for a border poll. “It is its own form of irresponsibility to act as if we can forever delay practical preparation.”
Sinn Féin ’s Northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill, has hailed the victory of the Scottish National Party. Plaid Cymru in Scotland and Wales – completing a hat trick of nationalist first ministers - as seismic. “The core of that change is about independence for our people, free from the limitations of Westminster.”
Here is a Guardian video with extracts from some of those post-cabinet interviews.
John Healey, the defence secretary, posted these on social media after cabinet.
double quotation mark People are worried about current conflicts and looming global crises. They expect their government to lead the country through, as the PM is doing.
More instability is not in Britain’s interest. Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic & security challenges.
double quotation mark Today, I will co-chair a meeting of 40 Defence ministers, to build support for the UK-led mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz -. announce UK military contributions.
We must get on with the job, restoring economic security for families here at home.
And earlier Steve Reed, the housing secretary, posted this.
double quotation mark This is not a game. This instability has consequences for people’s lives. The people who will be hurt most will be those that elected us less than two years ago. We must unite behind the Prime Minister.
Jenny Chapman, the development minister, gave a reasonably long interview to reporters after cabinet. She is one of Keir Starmer’s closest allies in cabinet (she was one of those who helped him develop a plan to become Labour leader even before the 2019 general election).
Here are the main points from what she said.
Chapman said she did not accept that Starmer had lost authority. When it was put to her that Starmer’s authority had been destroyed, she replied:
double quotation mark No, I don’t believe so. It’s not what I have just seen around the cabinet table. I saw a whole cabinet united and focussed on dealing with the issues that are confronting the British people.
When it was put to her that having more than 70 MPs call for Starmer’s resignation. she did not accept that.
She said she was not surprised that no one challenged Starmer’s leadership at cabinet.
She said that Starmer was in a “good” state, “focused” and “resilient”. When asked to say, as a close friend, how Starmer was coping with this crisis, she replied:
double quotation mark He’s great, he’s good, he’s focused, he’s resilient, he’s determined.
I’ve heard some people say that he is obstinately … or being defiant. That is not at all his vibe. He is in there really. really determined to do the job for the people of the country, the one that he was tasked with doing only two years ago. And he’ll see that through.
She said the whole cabinet supported Starmer at cabinet this morning. Everyone who spoke “was focused on the issues that we’re facing”. And she said “everybody acknowledged the strength of leadership that the prime minister has shown”. She said this included Wes Streeting, the health secretary; he spoke at cabinet, about the NHS. the impact of Iran war, she said.
She said she did not think there would be a leadership challenge. And, if there was a challenge, she said she thought Starmer should fight it.
But she said a leadership challenge would be “the worst thing” the party could do. She said:
double quotation mark I think the worst thing. we could do to embark on a kind of process that leads to instability in the leadership of this country. It would be bad for our economy, but bad for our politics more generally as well.
She said she thought the “majority of Labour MPs” did not want a leadership challenge. She went on:
double quotation mark They don’t want the chaos. So I hope that we can take a breath, settle. come up with a way forward, which is which is about putting the people in this country first.
Several other ministers spoke to journalists as they left No 10 after cabinet this morning.
Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said:
double quotation mark We had a very purposeful cabinet meeting talking about the big issues facing our economy and society. Nothing has been triggered.
I’m about to go off to Brussels to continue working with Brussels to deepen the relationship, to benefit Britain.
We are working hard on the big issues that are facing the country and Keir is showing really steadfast leadership.
Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, said:
double quotation mark The prime minister talked about the challenges we faced as a country, the crisis in the Middle East. the impact on the cost of living here.
And look, this government will do what we were elected to do which is serve the British people. The prime minister has my full support in this.
Let me just say this; there is a process to challenge the leader, nobody has made that challenge. what people would expect me to do is to focus on how we can grow the economy, tackle the cost of living and give them a better life.
And Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said the PM had her “full support”
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, was one of those ministers who did not speak to reporters as he left.
At cabinet no one challenged Keir Starmer. suggested he should go, according to Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary.
Speaking to reporters as he left No 10, McFadden said the government should “carry on.”
Asked whether anyone challenged Starmer at the meeting, he replied: “They didn’t.”
Most Labour MPs have not issued statements calling for Keir Starmer to resign. MPs in this group have not been especially vocal (in part because some or many people in this category do want him to go,. just won’t say so publicly), but Andrew Lewin, the MP for Welwyn Hatfield, has urged his colleagues to calm down. He posted this on Bluesky this morning.
double quotation mark If we push out the Prime Minister, a chaotic leadership election would inevitably follow.
It would be a gift to our political opponents and the public would not forgive us.
I sincerely hope that colleagues think again.
Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has just left No 10 after cabinet. Speaking to reporters, he essentially restated what Keir Starmer said in his statement. (See 9.48am.) Reed said:
double quotation mark The prime minister has my full support.
The Labour party has a process for triggering a leadership election.
That has not happened.
So we all intend to get on with our jobs, and that is what I intend to do.
Here are two more statements from Labour MPs who have issued statements this morning calling for Keir Starmer to resign.
From James Asser, MP for West Ham and Beckton
From Richard Baker, MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife
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