In a make-or-break speech on Monday, Starmer took responsibility for the “very tough” results, promising to “face up to the big challenges” and “make the Labor case” of a “stronger, fairer Britain”, Al Jazeera reported.
Admitting that Labor had made mistakes, he argued that their big political choices had been correct, including not being dragged into war against Iran. He pointed to reduced NHS waiting lists, child poverty and immigration, saying that “the fundamentals are sound”.
“We’re not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents,” he said, adding: “We’re battling Reform and the Greens, but at a deeper level, we’re battling the despair on which they prey. Despair that they exploit and amplify.”
He said that neither Reform’s Nigel Farage nor the Greens’ Zack Polanksi “offer the serious, progressive leadership that these times demand”.
Starmer described Labor as “a mainstream party of power, not protest”, and said the government would introduce legislation to take ownership of British Steel and be defined by rebuilding the UK’s relationship with Europe. He also promised a “guaranteed offer of a job, training or work placement for every young person looking for a job”.
He added that “standing shoulder to shoulder with the countries that most share our interests” was “the right choice for Britain”.
In the wake of last week’s election defeat, which saw Labor lose almost 1,500 councilors in England, largely to Reform UK and the Greens, backbencher Labor MP Catherine West urged cabinet ministers to “move quickly” to replace Starmer. She said she planned to email her colleagues for the necessary support on Monday morning if no one else put themselves forward.
More than 30 Labor MPs have said Starmer should resign or set out timetables for his departure, including his former ally Josh Simons, who wrote in The Times that Starmer had “lost the country”.
In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat in the elections, ending the party’s 27 years in power there, while in Scotland, the Scottish National Party retained its position, with Labor coming second.
Others remain supportive of the prime minister, including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who told Sky News that she did not believe “a leadership contest and all of the problems that that would bring is the answer”.
In an op-ed in The Guardian on Friday, Starmer took responsibility for the results, noting the Labor Party has “not sustained the public’s trust that we are doing enough” to deliver change. He said while it was important to respond to the message voters sent, “that doesn’t mean tacking right or left”.
Starmer appointed former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former deputy Labor leader Baroness Harman to key government positions on Saturday in what is seen as a bid to shore up support.
A leadership contest requires the endorsement of 81 Labor MPs. Likely challengers to the leadership include Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Starmer’s government has been in power since 2024, when it ended 14 years of Conservative rule in a landslide victory. His popularity has since fallen, with the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance amid a cost-of-living crisis and the scandal over United States Ambassador Peter Mendelson’s links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contributing to this decline.
During this time, support has grown for right-wing Reform UK, and the Green Party under progressive Polanski, who has been vocal in his criticism of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.