Jess Phillips among four ministers quitting as Starmer fights revolt

Four ministers, including Jess Phillips, have quit as pressure grows on Keir Starmer from Labour MPs urging him to resign.

Four government ministers, including Jess Phillips, have resigned as Sir Keir Starmer tries to contain a widening Labour revolt over his leadership.

Phillips told the prime minister in a resignation letter that she was “not seeing the change” the country expected and could not continue serving “under the current leadership.” Her departure came as more than 80 Labour MPs publicly urged Starmer to resign or set out a timetable to leave office after poor election results.

The prime minister told cabinet ministers on Tuesday that he would continue governing and noted that no formal leadership challenge had been triggered. The Labour leadership rules require a challenger to secure the backing of 20% of Labour MPs; based on the current parliamentary party, that would mean 81 MPs supporting a challenge.

Several senior ministers moved to shore up Starmer after the cabinet meeting. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the prime minister had his “full support” and urged colleagues calling for him to quit to “step back.”

Phillips, who was appointed safeguarding minister after the 2024 general election, used her letter to criticise the pace and ambition of policy delivery. She said Labour’s promised change was being slowed by an unwillingness to confront difficult arguments, writing that there was “nothing bold” about Starmer’s approach.

Her resignation followed that of Miatta Fahnbulleh, who stepped down as minister for devolution, faith and communities and called on Starmer to “do the right thing for the country and the party” by setting a timetable for an orderly transition.

Alex Davies-Jones also resigned as minister for victims and violence against women and girls, calling for “bold, radical action” and similarly urging the prime minister to outline a departure timetable. Zubir Ahmed became the fourth minister to quit, saying in his letter that the public had “irretrievably lost confidence” in Starmer and that his continued leadership was “wholly untenable.”

The revolt has exposed a sharp split inside Labour. While dozens of MPs are pressing for Starmer to go, more than 100 Labour MPs and ministerial aides have signed a statement warning that this is “no time for a leadership contest” and arguing that the party should focus on delivering change.

The immediate question is whether the resignations and public pressure harden into a formal challenge. The crisis comes a day before the government is due to set out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech, raising the stakes for a prime minister insisting he will fight on.