Keir Starmer rules out May resignation as PM vows to lead Labour into next general election

Jack Walters
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:54:37 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out resigning as Prime Minister in May after it was suggested the Labour leader could be forced to step down following the 2026 local elections.

The Prime Minister, who is bracing for yet another tough night at the ballot box, defiantly rejected speculation of a coup during a visit to the North West of England.

Sir Keir faces a crunch set of polls on May 7, with surveys suggesting Labour will lose its grip on Wales for the first time since 1922.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour could slump to third in Holyrood, with polling experts predicting net losses of more than 2,000 in England's council elections.

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When asked if he would consider resigning as PM, Sir Keir said: “We will go in and fight these elections.

“But I was elected in July 2024 with a five-year mandate to change this country, and I intend to carry through that mandate.

“I will be judged at the next election on whether I’ve delivered, and I know that I will be judged on whether living standards have improved, whether our public services are better, particularly in health service, or whether people feel safe and secure as a country in a more volatile and dangerous world.”

Sir Keir was urged to step down by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in February.

The one-man revolt, which was triggered by fresh revelations about Lord Mandelson's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, failed to materialise in a coup in Westminster.

A handful of Labour MPs have also been calling for Sir Keir to step down, including ex-Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon and welfare rebel Rachel Maskell.

However, GB News last month revealed how the Prime Minister's response to Iran curried favour with disgruntled MPs.

A veteran Labour MP told the People's Channel: "Keir's position is getting a lot of support from both the PLP and even more so among party members."

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However, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner have both reportedly been plotting to challenge Sir Keir for the top job.

Ms Rayner, who was snapped with Sir Keir and Andy Burnham earlier today, will need to sort her issues with HMRC before launching a coup.

Meanwhile, Mr Streeting is expected to struggle to shake off concerns about his political affiliation to the right of Labour.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is using Sir Keir's torrid ratings in the polls as a rallying cry for support ahead of polls opening on May 7.

Mr Farage, who is expected to hoover up votes across England, is campaigning under the slogan: “Vote Reform, Get Starmer Out”.

A new poll by JL Partners revealed almost two-thirds of voters want Sir Keir to resign immediately, with a similar proportion of Britons wanting a snap general election.

James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said: “I can’t think of a time I have seen the governing party’s own voters be in majority support of another election just two years later.

“The usual loyalty we see in British politics has become unbuckled as far as Labour is concerned, and that places the Prime Minister in a very perilous position indeed.”

A new MRP poll also suggested Reform UK would fall just short of commanding a majority in the House of Commons if the country voted today.

The survey, conducted by More in Common, puts Mr Farage's party on 324 seats – just two short of a razor-thin majority.

Meanwhile, Labour would likely collapse from 411 seats to just 101, with the Tories dropping from 121 to 80.

The Greens, Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru have been tipped to make gains based on current forcasting.