Stumbling Keir Starmer needs to accept that it's time for him to fall
Keir Starmer must now put his country first and work to facilitate the transition of power to a new Prime Minister
As people in Scotland, Wales and parts of England prepare to learn their collective democratic judgment, one thing seems clear: the election results will be bad for Labour and, in particular, Keir Starmer.
Virtually since the day he took office in 2024, Starmer has set about demonstrating he lacks the skills necessary to be a strong Prime Minister, stumbling from one misstep to another, driving Labour’s poll ratings downwards and alienating many within his party.
Barring an election miracle that would tarnish pollsters’ credibility for a generation, it’s now time for him to fall. What he and his party must do is accept the inevitable and agree a plan to allow him to do so with a degree of grace that also minimises the inevitable disruption to the serious business of government.
Swift and bloodless
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly called for Starmer to quit weeks ago, and perhaps had little option but to try to put some distance between them. Now there are reports that backbench Labour MPs are to circulate a letter blaming the Prime Minister for the bad results and asking him to set a date for his departure.
These MPs appear unaware that coups should be swift and bloodless. The last thing Labour and indeed the country need is a lame duck leader and a long, drawn out process to replace him. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is the strongest contender among those immediately available but questions remain whether he has the charisma to bring about the required step-change.
If the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, aka ‘the King in the North’, is deemed the best replacement, the Labour machine needs to urgently find him a route into the Westminster parliament – and suspend all the plotting and briefing until then. However, this raises the prospect of a nightmare scenario for Labour in which Burnham stands, but loses to Reform.
This is not just a party political problem. In our troubled times, it is vitally important that the UK has strong, effective leadership. Starmer must now realise his time is up, put his country first and ensure the coming transition of power is as smooth as possible.
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