POLITICS | WellnessMaster

A photo posted by Keir Starmer almost exactly 11 years ago has stunned political pundits after it was unearthed this week.

The prime minister’s job is hanging by a thread as more than 80 MPs call for him to quit following Labour’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

Catherine West, a former foreign office minister, helped to galvanise the campaign to push Starmer out.

She offered to be a “stalking horse” candidate in a leadership challenge to the prime minister, meaning she would stand against him just to tempt other rivals out of the blocks.

While her bid ultimately failed – as did her subsequent attempt at a no confidence letter – she helped get the ball rolling this week by encouraging MPs to publicly announce they had lost faith in Starmer.

Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting is thought to be one of the frontrunners in the next potential leadership race.

He has made his ambitions to be the next prime minister clear over several months and many of his allies in the Commons have already urged Starmer to resign.

So social media users were stunned when they found a photo of Starmer, Streeting and West together on their first day in the Commons after winning their seats in the 2015 general election.

The now-prime minister shared an image of himself with West and Streeting along with the caption: “Taking our seats for the 1st time.”

The image attracted a huge amount of interest – with many noting just how cruel a game politics can clearly be…

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this is like actually insane imagine showing them the newspaper from nearly exactly 10 years in the future 😭😭😭 https://t.co/YFoKoyeaZf

— autumn 💟 (@ambiguousdesire) May 11, 2026

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this is like actually insane imagine showing them the newspaper from nearly exactly 10 years in the future 😭😭😭 https://t.co/YFoKoyeaZf

— autumn 💟 (@ambiguousdesire) May 11, 2026

Keir Starmer has told his cabinet he will not quit despite mounting calls for him to resign as prime minister.

The PM told the weekly meeting of his top team: “The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.”

In a direct message to those who want his job, he said Labour “has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered”.

Starmer’s comments come despite more than 80 Labour MPs calling publicly for him to go and the resignation this morning of a government minister.

Four cabinet ministers also told him yesterday that he cannot survive as PM.

The PM said: “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised.

“The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families.

“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.”

His comments pile pressure on his leadership rivals to break cover and directly challenge him.

Any challenger would need the support of 81 MPs to trigger a contest, and Starmer would automatically go on the ballot paper.

However, Labour MPs are deeply split over who should take over, which is helping to keep the PM in his job for now.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

A government minister has resigned and called on Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

Miattah Fahnbulleh was the minister for devolution, faith and communities, and has now added to the growing calls for the prime minister to quit.

She told Starmer: “The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.”

More than 80 Labour MPs have now called on the prime minister to step down following the party’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

The prime minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from his job in No.10, and even claimed at the weekend he wants a decade in power.

However, Fahnbulleh has become the first government minister to officially give Starmer the push.

In a letter to the prime minister shared on social media, she said: “We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions.”

She added: “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires.

“The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.

“Therefore I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country.”

It comes after several senior cabinet ministers reportedly told Starmer to resign in private.

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This morning I sent my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister.

I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition. pic.twitter.com/u5UArjv7uR

— Miatta Fahnbulleh (@Miatsf) May 12, 2026

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This morning I sent my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister.

I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition. pic.twitter.com/u5UArjv7uR

— Miatta Fahnbulleh (@Miatsf) May 12, 2026

Keir Starmer is “not waving, but drowning” as he struggles to fight off attempts to kick him out of Downing Street, a Sky News presenter has declared.

Trevor Phillips said “the vultures are circling” around the prime minister in the wake of Labour’s latest election catastrophe.

The party is on course to lose around 1,500 councillors in England following a surge in support for Reform UK and the Green Party.

Labour also lost power in the Welsh Senedd for the first time ever, and was defeated once again by the SNP at Holyrood.

In response, Starmer insisted he “won’t walk away” from his job, and even suggested that he will be PM for another eight years.

On Saturday, the prime minister shocked Westminster by handing jobs to Labour grandees Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman.

Meanwhile, Labour backbencher Catherine West said she will trigger a leadership election unless the cabinet ousts him.

On Sky News this morning, Phillips said: “The smart money says the prime minister won’t be winkled out of Downing Street, but the vultures are circling.”

In a powerful monologue, Phillips added: “On May 7 the British people spoke, and they were brutal. They gave Nigel Farage a fighting force of nearly 1,500 councillors. They boosted [Green Party leader] Zack Polanski’s ranks by getting on for another 500.

“They put leaders in Edinburgh and Cardiff who ultimately want to break up the UK.

“What they said to Sir Keir Starmer was unambiguous: we think your government is a massive letdown, we really can’t see the point of your party and what’s more we really don’t like you very much either.

“The Labour Party is in chaos, with a backbencher threatening to trigger a leadership contest, and several of Starmer’s cabinet members jostling to replace him.

“The prime minister is going to respond tomorrow in what we are promised is a major speech. To rescue his leadership he’ll need something a bit more persuasive than his initial response on Friday morning, which amounted to ‘yes I made mistakes, the biggest of which is not to tell people frequently enough and loudly enough that everything I’ve done is right’.

“It’s quite hard to imagine voters in Barnsley or Hartlepool or Thurrock, where Labour were swept away by Reform, turning to their friends and crying ’if only I’d known they’d bring back Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman, I’d definitely have voted for Keir instead of Nigel.

“The prime minister is signalling frantically that he plans to keep going. He talked about being set for a 10 year run. But for all the stirring words and the bravado, this weekend he seems to me, and to many others, to be a man who is not waving, but drowning.”

A newly-elected Reform UK councillor mistakenly declared that “UKIP’s here” in his first message to voters.

Peter Reeve, who was formally UKIP group leader on Huntingdonshire District Council, has gone viral after accidentally mixing up the two parties.

Speaking to ITV Anglia, Reeve said: “Our message is UKIP’s here, working hard with local communities –”

“UKIP?” The reporter cut in.

“Reform, sorry!” Reeve replied, looking embarrassed. “Reform’s here, working hard with local communities.

“I’ve been doing this for 15 years, from the UKIP days through to Reform.”

The slip-up is especially unfortunate as Reform has tried to distance itself from its rival right-wing party – also once led by Nigel Farage – since getting into the mainstream.

However, the MP for Clacton has himself accidentally called Reform UKIP in the past.

Reeve has just been elected as the new Stanground South councillor on Peterborough City Council.

He’s one of four new Reform councillors within the local authority, taking the party’s total representatives to five out of a possible 18 on the council.

Farage’s party has made major gains among councils in England at the expense of both Labour and the Conservatives, winning almost 300 seats by 9am.

With the two main parties taking heavy losses, Farage has already insisted “what you’re witnessing is an historic change in British politics” even as the count continues.

He added: “Forget left-right, there is no more left-right, it’s gone, it’s out the window, it’s finished. As you can see we’re scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas.”

A former Labour minister has called for Andy Burnham to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister.

Lord Dave Watts said the party should allow the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Westminster in a by-election, which would then pave the way for a leadership challenge.

Watts was a government whip under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and also chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) from 2012 until 2015.

His intervention came as Labour braced for a catastrophic set of results in elections across England and in Scotland and Wales.

The party is on course to lose more than 1,000 English councillors, and be resoundingly defeated in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.

Writing for HuffPost UK, Lord Watts said: “The leadership question must be confronted head-on and without further delay.

“Does Keir Starmer possess the qualities required to steer the country through these turbulent times and reconnect with a disillusioned electorate? On the evidence of Thursday’s results, the answer is no.

“It’s clear we need a change, and many MPs and Labour voters are looking to the most successful and popular Labour politician, Andy Burnham, to provide that change.

“I believe that Andy should be allowed to stand in a by-election to boost Labour’s prospects and to provide the leadership needed.

“This is not a discussion that can be kicked into the long grass. Ministers need clear direction and the confidence that the prime minister is fully behind the bold changes necessary to regain public support.”

A senior Labour source said: “Dave Watts is not a usual suspect. He has always been a leadership loyalist.

“But he was the elected chair of the PLP for many years, and he’s right about Starmer. I think he is saying out loud what many in the PLP are thinking and whispering quietly to each other.

“These voices are only going to get louder. And no amount of Comical Ali spin from No.10 can change that.”

Starmer insisted on Friday morning that he took responsibility for Labour’s terrible performance, but insisted he will not “walk away” from Downing Street.

Burnham was a Labour MP from 2001 until 2017, but has made no secret of his desire to return to Westminster.

He tried to be Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, but was blocked from standing by the party’s ruling national executive committee under orders from the PM.

However, speculation is mounting that a Labour MP is ready to trigger a by-election to allow Burnham to mount another comeback attempt.

A BBC correspondent branded Donald Trump “erratic” after he ditched his latest attempt to re-open the Strait of Hormuz barely a day after launching it.

The US president claimed he was temporarily ending Project Freedom “based on the request of Pakistan and other countries”.

He said it was being “paused for a short period of time” to see whether a peace deal could be agreed to end the war in Iran.

His comments, in a post on Truth Social, came just hours after US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Project Freedom was needed to save “23,000 civilians from 87 different countries that are trapped … and left for dead in the Persian Gulf.”

Iran has affectively closed the Strait of Hormuz – a vital waterway which carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war – since America and Israel started bombing the country on February 28.

Since then, more than 1,000 tankers have been left stranded in the region.

Trump announced at the weekend that the US Navy would “guide” stranded ships through the Strait.

However, only two made it through before he announced that Project Freedom was being halted.

On Radio 4′s Today programme on Wednesday, BBC US correspondent David Willis said: “What are we to make of all this? Well, Project Freedom had antagonised Iran, which had fired missiles and drones at US forces in the area.

“And Iran had threatened to effectively put an end to the fragile ceasefire by maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz. Added to which it had only led to the passage of two merchant ships through the Strait, albeit it had only been in effect for a day.

“Did the US, I wonder, perhaps feel it was backfiring? We’ll have to wait and see.”

He added: ”[It has been] a head-spinning day even by Donald Trump’s somewhat erratic standards.

“The question now is where does this leave the 1,600 or so ships that remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, some of which have been there for getting on three months now.

“The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said earlier that hundreds of commercial vessels were lining up to be guided through the Strait of Hormuz by the US navy. What happens to them now, and indeed the precious commodities such as oil and fertiliser that the US was also hoping to liberate?”

This Thursday will present the largest test of the Labour government – and its rival parties – since the last general election nearly two years ago.

Around 5,000 seats across 136 local councils, along with six mayoral contests, are up for election in England.

Voters in Scotland and Wales will also go to the polls for elections to Holyrood and the Senedd.

Labour are widely expected to suffer a catastrophic night, piling fresh pressure on Keir Starmer.

The Tories are expected to endure significant losses too, with the Greens and especially Reform UK on course to make huge gains as voters deliver a damning verdict on the two main parties.

Here, HuffPost UK assesses how the main parties are shaping up ahead of the biggest test of public opinion since July, 2024.

Labour

Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with residents at Newton Leys pavilion to discuss how the government is implementing policies to ease the cost of living as he campaigns ahead of local elections scheduled for May 7 on April 1, 2026

Pollsters’ prediction? Top forecaster Lord Hayward warned Labour will lose 1,850 council seats. That means the party could be left with barely a quarter of the 2,550 councillors they currently have in the areas which are up for re-election.

YouGov does not expect Labour to win any constituency seats in Scotland at all, with their predicted 15 seats coming from the regional top-up lists.

Labour is also expected to lose power in the Welsh parliament for the first time since it was established in 1999, with YouGov predicting the party’s vote share will drop to 13% – down 23 points on the 2021 election.

That means Labour could end up with just 12 of the Senedd’s 96 seats.

What’s the mood within the party? Understandably bleak.

Starmer is actively calling for his party to support him amid rising fears of a leadership challenge from his main rivals Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.

One party insider said: “We’re resigned to taking a significant knock, but are still standing and trying to get out as many votes as possible.”

“I just think Labour are fucked either way,” another source said candidly.

In a rare moment of optimism, campaigners also said voters have been “disinterested” rather than actively hostile to Labour activists – which was an improvement on what they were expecting.

One insider told HuffPost UK that deputy prime minister David Lammy had told activists over the weekend that the row which hit Zack Polanksi in the wake of last week’s Golders Green attacks could damage the Greens.

This sparked some hope that the party could claw back some of their supporters.

Conservatives

Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party meets party supporters during a visit to Sunderland on April 02, 2026 in Sunderland, United Kingdom.

Pollsters’ prediction? The Tories are expected to lose 600 councillors in England, according to Lord Hayward.

YouGov expects the Tory vote to fall to just 8% of the vote in Holyrood – that would be the worst ever result for the party at any election within Scotland.

Predictions suggest the Tories would go from having 31 seats in 2021 to just seven.

The pollster also predicts the Tories will end up with just three seats in Wales.

What’s the mood within the party? Not very optimistic.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s own leadership has been strengthened in recent months as she’s improved her PMQs appearance – and her main challenger, Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform.

But that does not necessarily translate to votes – especially as the Tories are still being punished for their 14 years in power.

One traditionally Conservative voter stunned the public this week by announcing she would be backing Labour instead, just to keep the Greens out.

Anecdotally, HuffPost UK has heard other Tories telling door-knockers they planned to do the same. The party did not respond when approached for comment.

Reform UK

Pollsters’ prediction? Hayward expects Reform to gain 1,550 seats in England.

The party is expected to make a bmajor reakthrough in Scotland, according to YouGov, winning 20 MSPs in total and replacing Labour as the official opposition to the SNP.

Reform is also in a close fight with Plaid Cymru to be the largest party in the Welsh Senedd.

What’s the mood within the party? Understandably upbeat.

Reform are set to win their first seats in Wales and Scotland after more than a year of leading in the national opinion polls.

Nigel Farage told The Sunday Times he expected the party to do “stunningly well”.

He claimed Reform would be taking “Labour heartlands” in the local elections – Yorkshire, the northwest, the northeast, parts of the Midlands and the Welsh Valleys.

But there are suggestions that support for the party has already peaked, with its polling numbers declining over the past six months.

Farage also skipped a grilling from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. That came after reports he accepted an undisclosed £5 million donation from a billionaire supporter before he ran to be an MP.

His team said he decided to pull out last minute to campaign in his Clacton constituency, but critics suggested he was dodging scrutiny.

The party courted further controversy on Sunday by announcing plans to put detention centres for illegal migrants in constituencies and councils which vote Green.

Greens

(L-R) Councillor and Green Party candidate for Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski pose with supporters holding placards during Lewisham Green Party's 'Big Day Out' at the Fox and Firkin on April 11, 2026 — (L-R) Councillor and Green Party candidate for Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski pose with supporters holding placards during Lewisham Green Party’s ‘Big Day Out’ at the Fox and Firkin on April 11, 2026

Pollsters’ prediction? The Greens are set to see its number of councillors in England increase by 500, according to Hayward, mainly in London and other middle class areas of major cities.

The Greens are predicted to enjoy a small boost in Scotland, up from their current eight seats to 11, according to YouGov.

YouGov also expects the party to win seven seats in Wales, meaning it could come in fourth place behind Labour in the Senedd.

What’s the mood within the party? Hopeful – but cautious.

Leader Zack Polanski was forced to apologise last week after sharing a social media post which criticised the police response to a terror attack in Golders Green.

While Labour are hopeful this will reduce the number of voters willing to support their left-wing competitors, a Green insider suggested it would not have too much cut-through.

One senior figure in the party also insisted it was all “very positive” on the doorstep, but campaigners have been more cautious behind the scenes.

“There’s been a lot of hype about us wiping out Labour in London, and we’re definitely going to have a record-breaking result. At the same time, I think people forget the base we’re coming from,” they said, pointing to Greens’ poor performance at London’s last local elections in 2021.

“It’s going to be very good for us but perhaps some of the more apocalyptic predictions forget the context we’re coming from,” the source claimed.

Lib Dems

Liberal Democrat party leader Sir Ed Davey (C), along with Roger Harmer, leader of Birmingham Liberal Democrats (CL), launches their local election campaign at The Roundhouse on April 10, 2026

Pollsters’ prediction? The Lib Dems are on course to gain 150 seats in the local elections, according to Hayward.

YouGov expects the centrist party to take nine seats in Scotland (up from its current four) but secure just three seats in Wales.

What’s the mood within the party? Surprisingly upbeat.

The Lib Dems have been trailing in the national opinion polls for some time, outshone by the traditional parties and the populist groups.

Behind the scenes, MPs have been unhappy with Ed Davey’s leadership for months, frustrated with his “gimmicks”.

But, with these elections, the party has developed a clear strategy – focusing on local council issues in the hope of taking more seats in England.

There’s even been some speculation they could become the largest party in English local government, especially with Labour and the Tories expecting to endure major losses.

SNP

SNP MSP Candidate for Stirling Alyn Smith (C-L), First Minister John Swinney (C) and Deputy Leader of the SNP Keith Brown (C-R) pose for a photo after a campaign stump speech at the King's Knot on May 01, 2026 — SNP MSP Candidate for Stirling Alyn Smith (C-L), First Minister John Swinney (C) and Deputy Leader of the SNP Keith Brown (C-R) pose for a photo after a campaign stump speech at the King’s Knot on May 01, 2026

Pollsters’ prediction? The SNP is once again on course to comfortably win the Scottish Parliament election.

YouGov predicted the SNP could win 67 seats in Holyrood – giving the party an overall majority. But More in Common and Lord Hayward have both said they will fall short.

What’s the mood within the party? Very happy.

If the polls are correct, the SNP is heading for a remarkable third decade in power, after first being elected way back in 2007.

This is despite criticism of their handling of the Scottish NHS, education system and other public services during nearly 20 years in power.

While questions remain over whether the party will be able to clinch a majority, they are set to benefit from the major splits between Scottish Labour and the Westminster government.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for Starmer to step down earlier this year in the hope of distancing himself from Downing Street’s disasters, but the move does not seem to have won over voters.

The Nationalists have also pledged to call for a second Scottish independence referendum if they win a majority.

Plaid Cymru

Pollsters’ prediction? The pro-independence party is only standing in the Welsh devolved election. Hayward predicted it will be the largest party in terms of votes and seats in Senedd.

However, YouGov predicted it will secure 36 seats – making it just one representative away from Reform’s lead.

What’s the mood within the party? Nervous.

Like the SNP, Plaid Cymru are hoping to capitalise on Labour’s downfall.

Unlike the Scottish Nationalists, they’ve never been in power before and so do not have to contend with their own record in office to win over voters.

But, they do have the new kids on the block to compete with: Reform UK, who are making gains in Wales – and who look set to be the largest unionist party in the Senedd after Thursday.

How Important Will May 7 Actually Be?

Steve Akehurst, director of research initiative Persuasion UK, warned against seeing this set of results as the ideal test of how the public feels.

He told HuffPost UK: “Local elections are an imperfect way of attempting to measure national sentiment.

“In terms of predictions, I think it’s best to wait for the national equivalent vote share later in the weekend.”

The specialist said analysing Reform’s performance will be particularly difficult “given the party basically didn’t exist in 2022, the last time many of these seats were contested.”

But, Akehurst warned: “It’s important to remember that Labour losing seats to Reform is not the same as Labour losing votes to Reform.

“Around the country we have seen the same patterns since the general election – where votes shifting from Reform to Tory, or Labour to Green or Liberal Democrat, led to Labour seats becoming Reform seats with little direct loss of votes from one party to the other.

“That is likely to be the case again at these elections.”

Reform UK has been slammed after it revealed a new policy to put migrant detention facilities in constituencies and councils not controlled by its own representatives.

Days out from the local elections in England, and devolved elections in Wales and Scotland, Reform’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf declared that a Reform government would “deport all illegal migrants in Britain”.

While waiting to be deported, the migrants would be housed in detention centres for a “couple of weeks”.

Yusuf claimed: “A Reform government will not put any migrant detention facilities in any constituency with a Reform MP.

“Nor will we put them where Reform controls the council.

“And of the remaining areas, we will prioritise Green controlled parliamentary constituencies and Green controlled councils to locate the detention centres.”

Yusuf said this meant if Reform representatives were voted in, they would “guarantee you won’t have a detention centre near you” – but, “if you vote Green, there’s a good chance you will.”

Reform called this “an important exercise in democratic consent”.

The senior Reform figure added: “Given Zack Polanski openly advocates for open borders, we look forward to their warm embrace of this policy.”

Deputy Green leader Mothin Ali said: “Reform keep making abhorrent announcements to distract voters from they fact they want to privatise the NHS.”

A Green Party source told HuffPost UK: “The shine is coming off Nigel Farage, his own voters are starting to see him for the establishment stooge he is.”

Green leader Zack Polanski wrote on X: “Reform took a £5m donation and they’re trying to distract you.”

Reform’s announcement comes after party leader Nigel Farage was heavily criticised for pulling out the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg last minute.

The party claimed Farage was campaigning in his constituency in Clacton.

However, his critics suggested he was evading scrutiny after the Guardian reported that he had received a £5 million donation from a crypto billionaire shortly before he decided to run to be an MP in 2024.

The Conservatives also criticised the new migrant policy, as leader Kemi Badenoch retweeted a post from former cabinet minister Simon Clarke which called the policy an “appalling waste of public money”.

Clarke noted that these detention centres would likely be set up in other areas where the public have not voted for Reform – including Conservative seats.

He said: “Zia is proposing the siting of detention centres expressly as a form of political punishment for people and places that don’t vote Reform – not just Green, but presumably Conservative, Liberal and Labour too. (And what about Reform voters in those constituencies?)

“It would almost certainly be deemed an abuse of ministerial power for political purposes, and as such would likely be stuck down in court before ever being implemented, wasting millions for the taxpayer without detaining anyone.

“If it were to go ahead, it would still represent an appalling waste of public money as these sites might well not be in any way suitable for the proposed centres, or near the other infrastructure required.

“What’s worse is that he is doing all this to provoke outrage and draw attention to Reform a few days out from the local elections.

“Reform know what they are doing.

“But this goes beyond a pre-election stunt. It’s declared as a major policy commitment, and should be treated as such.”

A senior minister has torn into anyone considering challenging Keir Starmer’s leadership, saying rivals must “give their heads a gentle wobble”.

Labour is expected to take a beating when voters across the UK head to the ballot box for England’s local elections and devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.

According to widespread reports, senior Labour figures – including health secretary Wes Streeting, former deputy PM Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – could be looking to topple Starmer if the party receives devastating results next week.

But Transport secretary Heidi Alexander stood by her boss on Sky News, urging challengers not to turn Labour into a “self-indulgent debating society”.

She said: “I think Keir is the best person to lead our country through the period of extreme international volatility that we are experiencing at the moment.

“I don’t think the public would thank us if the Labour Party turned into some sort of self-indulgent debating society when there are pockets of the world that feel like they are going to hell in a hand cart at the moment.”

She pointed to Starmer’s efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the major oil shipping lane which has been impacted by the US’s war in Iran.

“I think asking the prime minister to somehow reapply for his job while all of that is going on and he is entirely focused on the concerns of the British people would be the wrong thing to do,” Alexander said.

“I think those people who think we should have a leadership election now and repeat the mistakes that the Conservative government made in churning through prime ministers probably do need to give their head a gentle wobble at the moment.”

She claimed Starmer is “determined” to take what he has learned from the last two years in office and build a “stronger and fairer country for everyone”.

Asked if Alexander was sending that message to leadership rivals, she said: “This is about what the Labour Party needs to do to put the country first.

“We were elected in 2024 to deliver the change that the country was crying out for after Covid, Brexit, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng and 14 years of Conservative government.”

“Change is going to take time,” she said, adding: “Does that mean we’re going to get a dopamine hit every couple of months? No it doesn’t. But does it mean we are going to put this country on the right path, yes, I do believe that.”

Alexander’s comments are striking considering other ministers started to distance themselves from Starmer over the Peter Mandelson scandal last month.

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, questioned the prime minister’s judgment over the controversy.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband also admitted he and former foreign secretary David Lammy had both expressed concerns over Mandelson’s appointment before the ex-Labour peer became the UK’s ambassador to the US.

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