British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted he will remain in his position, after his party’s dismal showing in Friday’s elections triggered calls for him to resign.
Starmer’s governing Labour Party saw bruising losses in the United Kingdom’s local and regional elections, making way for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, an anti-establishment movement, to make critical gains. Among other victories, Reform picked up hundreds of local council seats in areas considered solid Labour territory in the country’s northern region. In Wales, Labour’s deputy first minister David Lammy told the BBC he’s expecting the party to lose power, which hasn’t happened in 27 years.
Starmer acknowledged the “tough” results, but dismissed calls for him to step aside, saying he was “elected to meet those challenges” and signalling he intends to lead Labour into the next general election.
“Tough days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised,” he said. “I’m not going to walk away from those challenges and plunge the country into chaos.”
Farage described the results as a historic change in British politics,” warning Starmer that Labour is being “wiped out by Reform in many of their traditional areas.”
Some in Starmer’s party argued the election outcomes on Friday warranted a change of leadership at the top.
“I don’t think Keir Starmer should survive these results,” Labour lawmaker Jonathan Brash, who represents Hartlepool in Parliament, said. “We have to be bolder, and we have to go further. And quite frankly, we need new leadership in order to achieve that.”
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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned the ruling party should reflect on the results, and did not rule out backing Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to replace Starmer, in comments to the BBC.
“Andy is a good friend of mine and a very talented mayor of Manchester, a very talented politician,” she said.