BackJess Phillips and Three Other Ministers Resign, Calling for Keir Starmer to Quit

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Guardian UK5/12/2026Politics2 min readUnited Kingdom

Jess Phillips and Three Other Ministers Resign, Calling for Keir Starmer to Quit

Labour Party UK Government Leadership Crisis

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Four UK ministers, including Jess Phillips, resign, urging Labour leader Keir Starmer to step down amid party crisis following poor election results.

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Jess Phillips and three other ministers have resigned from the UK government, calling for Labour leader Keir Starmer to quit amid a party crisis triggered by dire local election results.

Phillips, a close ally of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, criticized Starmer's leadership style, saying opportunities for progress were consistently stalled. Her resignation, along with those of Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, brings the total of Labour MPs publicly calling for Starmer's resignation to over 80.

Despite the pressure, Starmer told his cabinet he would "fight on," stating the threshold for a leadership challenge had not been met. Several senior ministers, including Pat McFadden and Liz Kendall, publicly supported Starmer. However, some cabinet members advised him to oversee a transition.

The crisis follows significant electoral losses across England, Wales, and Scotland, with many MPs blaming Starmer's leadership. The king's speech is set to proceed as scheduled despite the turmoil.

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