Cabinet ministers warn mutinous MPs about trying to oust Keir Starmer

The Guardian ^ | Mon 4 May 2026 | Pippa Crerar

[MinorityRepublican]

Cabinet ministers have warned mutinous Labour MPs that any attempt to oust Keir Starmer after a potentially disastrous set of election results this week would unleash chaos for the party that would not be easily overcome.

However, several told the Guardian that even with the prime minister’s determination to stay in Downing Street after Thursday’s vote, the mood on the backbenches was febrile and events could yet spiral out of control.

They also admitted that – while they would discourage any coup against Starmer now, they did not expect him to lead the party into the next election. “When your personal brand is so poor, it is seldom retrievable,” one added.

Labour faces losing more than 1,500 council seats across England, a struggle for second place in Scotland and the prospect of losing Wales after a century of domination, leaving thousands of angry local politicians who see themselves as victims of the government’s unpopularity.

Before they headed to their constituencies last week, MPs were gripped by speculation over Starmer’s future, with Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham – despite not being eligible – seen as likely successors.

Some have argued Starmer should set out a timetable for his departure – and have suggested that a group of cabinet ministers might be prepared to tell the prime minister that his time was in up if the results are as bad as predicted.

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TOPICS: United Kingdom
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[FrankRizzo890]

This is familiar. We heard the same thing over here when we set out to oust some useless speaker.

[MinorityRepublican]

Keir Starmer facing Muslim voter crisis as poll finds that over half will tactically vote to boot Labour out this Thursday - with support collapsing from 80% to just 33%