British prime minister Keir Starmer at the entrance to 10 Downing Street, London, April 4, 2025. BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP
How much time does Labour's Keir Starmer have left at Downing Street: a week, a month, a year? It's hard to say, as the atmosphere at Westminster has been tense since the May 7 local election results in the United Kingdom, which were catastrophic for Labour. The traditional party of the British left lost in Wales after nearly a century of dominance. It also saw dozens of councils in its historic strongholds in the north of England taken by the far-right ReformUK. And in London, Labour gave up its majority in symbolic boroughs such as Levisham (southeast) to the Greens.
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Starmer was set to attempt yet another relaunch of his mandate on Monday, May 11, with a major speech focused on young people and improving ties with the European Union. He also hoped that the King's Speech, scheduled for May 13 – the grand presentation of his government's new legislative agenda by Charles III – would rally Labour supporters. Yet, his fate seemed sealed after around forty Labour MPs called for his resignation on Sunday. MP Catherine West even threatened to formally challenge his leadership if Starmer did not announce his own departure.
