Labor collects signatures for Starmer’s departure

According to information from The Guardian newspaper, West had announced on Saturday (9) that he would seek to gather the names of 81 Labor parliamentarians (20% of the party’s bench in the House of Commons, according to the rules) to open a formal procedure for Starmer’s departure.

However, this Monday (11), she changed her position slightly, saying that she intends to gather the same amount of signatures to ask Starmer to start a process so that a new leader of the Labor Party (and, consequently, a new British Prime Minister) is elected in September.

“Last Thursday’s results show that the Prime Minister has failed to inspire hope. What is best for the party and the country now is an orderly transition. I hereby notify the Prime Minister’s Office that I am collecting names of Labor MPs to ask the Prime Minister to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September,” the MP said in a statement.

Such a procedure would not have the force of a formal impeachment process, such as what West had initially proposed, but would act as a “vote of no confidence” that could make Starmer’s position untenable, the Guardian said.

Last Thursday (7), voters went to the polls to choose the occupants of more than 5,000 seats in 136 local councils in England, six English mayors and members of the parliaments of Scotland and Wales.

Labor came second in English local elections, electing just 1,068 local MPs (a loss of 1,496 seats), compared to 1,453 for the right-wing nationalist Reform UK party.

In Scotland and Wales, Labor came second and third, respectively, behind the center-left Scottish National Party (SNP) in the Scottish election and the center-left Plaid Cymru party and Reform United Kingdom in the Welsh election.

Starmer acknowledged the need for change after Thursday’s defeat, but has maintained that he will continue to lead the British government until the next national election, scheduled for 2029.