In the hours leading up to Sir Keir Starmer’s make-or-break speech on Monday, he was urged to “meet the moment” and spell out how he intends to turn both his party and the country around.
On the evidence of the reaction from MPs, it only served to further fuel demands for a change in leadership with backbenchers now in open revolt over the direction of the Government.
Around 55 Labour MPs have publicly called for Starmer to set out a timescale for stepping down, but it will be those doing so in the aftermath of his speech that will be cause of most concern for No 10.
By no means household names, the likes of Chris Curtis, chair of the centrist Labour Growth Group, Alan Gemmell, a parliamentary private secretary to the Home Secretary, and Catherine McKinnell a former minister, are the types of MPs that would previously had been deemed as loyalists to the Prime Minister.
Cabinet remains silent
For now, the Cabinet is still believed to be backing their leader, but much will depend on whether the sheer weight of MPs calling for change makes that support untenable.
Several key members of Starmer’s top team, such as Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting had kept quiet following the latest reset, in marked contrast to the public messages of support sent by Cabinet in February when Scottish leader Anas Sarwar called for Starmer to go.
One serving minister summed the general mood of much of the party in response to the speech. “The sad truth is that the public have stopped listening. It’s time for an orderly transition to go,” they said.
A senior Labour MP echoed the comments, adding: “The speech doesn’t change anything for me – I wanted actions not words about actions. He fails to understand the urgency, the scale of the task.”
The Labour benches have largely fallen into three main groups: those that remain tentatively supportive of Starmer, those that would prefer to wait until Andy Burnham has returned to Westminster, and those that want a challenge to be made now, be it from Streeting or Angela Rayner.
In a sign of the frustration at the lack of movement from leadership rivals, one senior MP urged the likes of Streeting to make a move, saying it was time for the “big names to rule themselves as running”.
“My respect for those being shy is reducing by the hour,” they added.
The Health Secretary was keeping a low profile on Monday, and he is understood to be reluctant to be the first mover in any leadership race. Rayner, who gave a speech calling for more action on Monday, is also reticent, particularly as she awaits the findings of an HMRC investigation into her tax affairs.
MPs want to wait for Bunham
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who was also keeping quiet following the speech, has yet to find a seat to return to Westminster and is unable to mount a challenge, leaving the party, once again, in limbo.
Several MPs The i Paper spoke to wanted to wait until Burnham had returned to Parliament before any leadership battle was triggered, with one Labour source insisting: “It’s only fair that all the players are on the pitch for when a contest happens.”
The sentiment is partly why Catherine West, the backbencher who threatened to challenge Starmer over the weekend, backed down on Monday and instead asked MPs to sign a letter demanding the Prime Minister set out a timetable to quit.
Sources said government whips were picking up a mood described as “dire” among backbenchers, with “loads” of MPs who have yet to speak out publicly against the Prime Minister sharing the concerns of those that had spoken out.
Government insiders said they were “still pretty nervy” about a potential leadership challenge, and suggested more needed to come from the Prime Minister in terms of policy to stave off any potential coup.
“There’s an element of Gareth Southgate about it and him needing to take the handbrake off,” one source said, in references to the former England manager’s risk averse final tournament.
Starmer to hold talks with unions
Starmer himself will hold talks this Thursday with the 11 trade unions affiliated to Labour in a bid to fight for their ongoing support, in what is likely to be another make or break moment for the Prime Minister’s future.
A group representing 11 unions – who include those normally supportive of the Prime Minister – will meet Starmer for the crucial discussions before general secretaries from all of the 11 will hold their own summit on Friday to discuss next steps, it is understood.
But there were loyalists, who were insistent that Starmer should be given the chance to deliver his plans.
Sam Rushworth, MP for Bishop Aukland, said: “I’m not sure what people expect a speech to achieve. It’s actions over time that change lives.”
Voters, he added, “sent a message” which “should be heeded and acted upon”.
A government source went one further, warning: “If anyone thinks going down the change the leader route is going to fix things they’re mad.
“The markets will cripple us and the public will destroy us.”
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