Labour MP Catherine West has issued an ultimatum to the cabinet: produce a challenger to Sir Keir Starmer by Monday, or she'll trigger a leadership contest herself. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, West explained that her preferred scenario involves the cabinet doing a little internal reshuffling and putting forward their "best communicator" to replace Sir Keir, thereby avoiding the messy business of a full leadership election. But if no one steps up by Monday, she's prepared to ask fellow Labour MPs to back her in triggering a contest, a move that requires the support of 20% of the party's MPs - 81 people. West claims she currently has 10 MPs ready to back her, but she's "confident" more will come forward.
"My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there's plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role," the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet told Radio 4's PM programme. "Then for others to come to the fore who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss."
Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, however, urged caution, noting that the past decade has shown what happens when a party in government starts "chopping and changing leaders." He warned it generates instability and distracts from delivery. While West isn't angling to become leader herself, her gambit could tempt others to launch a bid - or, if it backfires, could actually strengthen Sir Keir's position by rallying MPs behind him.
Sir Keir has insisted he won't "walk away and plunge the country into chaos" after Labour suffered heavy losses in elections for English councils, as well as the Welsh and Scottish parliaments. The prime minister is planning a reset this week with a major speech and a new legislative program. In interviews with the Observer and Mirror, he said he'd be "full throated" about seeking closer ties to the EU, including a scheme to allow young EU citizens to work temporarily in the UK - and vice versa - starting next year.
Cabinet ministers rallied around the PM on Friday evening, but around 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for a change of leader or a timetable for Sir Keir to go. Labour lost more than 1,460 seats in English council elections, with Reform UK making huge gains in former Labour heartlands. The Greens won control of Waltham Forest, Lewisham, and Hackney, and in Wales, Labour finished third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. In Scotland, the SNP won a fifth successive term, with Labour tied for second with Reform.
West didn't name a preferred replacement. "I don't have a candidate. That's part of the problem," she said. "But I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say 'I will do it'." She praised Sir Keir's work on rebuilding the party and foreign policy but said he had "less of a grip" on the domestic agenda and the party needed to "take the fight to Reform."
West's intervention caught many Labour MPs off guard. One minister critical of the prime minister called it "mad," while a prominent backbench critic called it a "totally irresponsible solo mission." Immigration Minister Mike Tapp was blunt: "When those within your own walls begin dismantling the gate, the enemy no longer needs a battering ram."
However, one Labour MP who is not a prominent critic said they'd support West on Monday: "I am reasonably confident she will be able to get to 81 [backers]. The frustration on the backbenches runs far wider than the voices we've heard from publicly."
Downing Street sources don't think she'll reach that threshold. Some in government believe West's call for the cabinet's "best communicator" is a tacit nod to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, though his allies deny it. Other potential candidates include former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who resigned in September over a tax issue and is awaiting an HMRC investigation's conclusion, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has MP support but isn't in Parliament. Burnham supporters had hoped to prop up Sir Keir temporarily while he finds a seat, but West isn't on board with that timeline.
In an attempt to shore up his position, Sir Keir appointed former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former deputy leader Harriet Harman as advisers on global finance and tackling violence against women. The move baffled many Labour MPs. One loyal minister told the BBC: "It's a joke. There is no question to which bringing these two back is the answer." Paula Barker, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, added: "I have enormous respect for both Gordon and Harriet, but I would have had even more respect for them if they had declined the offer of, quite frankly, non-jobs and told the prime minister that it's time for a change."