British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure within his party after at least 81 members of the Labour Party reportedly called on him to either resign or announce a timetable for his departure.
Among those said to be backing the move is Shabana Mahmood, alongside several influential lawmakers within the party.
The group represents about 20 percent of Labour’s 403 Members of Parliament — the threshold reportedly required to trigger a leadership contest within the party.
But Starmer has remained defiant.
“The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families,” the prime minister told cabinet on Monday.
“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.”
Pressure on Starmer has been soaring since Labour suffered disastrous local election results last week, losing hundreds of councillors to the hard-right Reform UK party and left-wing populist Greens.
The party also lost its century-old dominance in Wales and were hammered by the Scottish National Party in the devolved parliament in Edinburgh.
The results added to a miserable few months for Starmer who has been engulfed in scandal over his decision to appoint, and then sack, Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US. Mandelson was a former friend of Jeffrey Epstein, sex offender.
Earlier this year, Starmer fended off calls to quit over his decision to appoint Mandelson.
The prime minister has also faced criticism over a failure to revive the economy, leaving British citizens to grapple with a high cost of living.
Wes Streeting, health secretary, and Angela Rayner, former deputy PM, are seen the most likely replacements for Keir among Labour MPs.
