British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would get on with governing despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections and the resignation of a junior minister.
Britain’s safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigned from government in protest at Starmer’s leadership, adding to pressure on the prime minister after a poor performance in last week’s local elections.
At a meeting of his cabinet, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that, while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. Several loyal ministers expressed their support for him.