West gives Cabinet until Monday to force Starmer out

LONDON, Labour MP Catherine West has given the Cabinet a deadline of Monday to force Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister or she will trigger a formal leadership contest, deepening the crisis that has gripped the party since Thursday’s devastating local election losses.

West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister sacked by Starmer in September 2025, said her preference was for senior ministers to act collectively rather than force her to lead a challenge from the backbenches. She described herself as on the party’s centre-left.

“My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself,” West told Ynetnews. She suggested Starmer could be “given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role,” rather than remaining as prime minister.

Under Labour’s rule book, 20 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party, currently 81 MPs, must sign a nomination paper to trigger a leadership contest. West told the BBC she had the support of 10 MPs so far but was “confident” she could reach the threshold if no cabinet minister steps forward first.

The move was framed by allies as a “stalking horse” bid designed to measure discontent within the parliamentary party and clear the path for a more senior figure to enter the race. If West reaches 81 signatures and a contest is triggered, other MPs and ministers could then put themselves forward.

No cabinet minister has yet publicly broken with Starmer. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the prime minister had his support. Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is awaiting the conclusion of an HMRC investigation before making any move. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, the favourite among party members, is not currently an MP and would need to find a seat.

Starmer’s allies pushed back. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds warned a challenge “just generates instability and it militates against a focus on delivery.” Immigration Minister Mike Tapp said: “When those within your own walls begin dismantling the gate, the enemy no longer needs a battering ram.”

Starmer has already moved to shore up his position, bringing former prime minister Gordon Brown and former deputy leader Harriet Harman into his advisory circle after an election rout in which Labour lost control of councils across England and recorded its worst-ever result in Scotland. The prime minister has insisted he will not resign.

The standoff follows recriminations inside the party. An open letter demanding Starmer step down, inspired by the Gordon Brown-era move against Tony Blair in 2006, has been circulating among Labour MPs. A poll published this week found 81 per cent of respondents wanted Starmer to resign.

Whether the Cabinet moves against Starmer by Monday evening will determine if West’s challenge proceeds, or whether a bigger name, such as Burnham, Rayner, or another cabinet heavyweight, takes her place.