By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 10:43 BST, 17 May 2026 | Updated: 13:14 BST, 17 May 2026
Keir Starmer should just quit power rather than stay and fight a leadership battle, a former minister said today.Jess Phillips, who stepped down as safeguarding minister on Monday with a blast at the Prime Minister, indicated he should sit out any contest expected to involve Labour figures like Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.Ms Phillips is supporting Mr Streeting, who confirmed yesterday he would stand in any leadership election in the summer.He is expected to lose if he faces off against Mr Burnham, but the absence of Sir Keir from the ballot could see many of the PM's remaining loyalists side with him and bolster his numbers.Ms Phillips told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg she believes there should be a leadership race, but when asked if Sir Keir Starmer should stand, she simply said: 'In my opinion, no.' She went on to praise Mr Streeting's 'bravery and boldness' in government, compared to the 'timid' PM.Josh Simons, the Labour MP quitting to allow Mr Burnham to try to win his Makerfield seat in a by-election, made a similar push.He said that if the GM mayor was elected Labour should unite behind him. Asked if that meant 'the end of Keir Starmer', he added: 'By implication, yeah.' Jess Phillips, who stepped down as safeguarding minister on Monday, indicated Sir Keir should sit out any contest expected to involve Labour figures like Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting Ms Phillips is supporting Mr Streeting, who confirmed yesterday he would stand in any leadership election in the summerJoin the discussionHas Starmer become too timid to survive?What's your view?But appearing on the BBC he also denied reports he decided to step down a year ago.The Sun on Sunday reported Mr Simons had been considering publicly backing Mr Burnham to become Prime Minister for 12 months, and had a drink with the mayor last summer to discuss his ideas.But the Makerfield MP has insisted he made the decision this week, after discussing it with his wife.'For me, it wasn't about… people always ask (about) cutting deals, are you going to run for mayor, are you going to be in the Lords? No, no, no.'It was about, ''what does Andy think that he's going to do to the Labour Party and to the country if he wins this by-election?'', and that's what matters.' Ms Phillips used her interview to to describe Sir Keir Starmer's approach to holding tech companies accountable for children's online safety as 'timid'.She told the BBC: 'Timid is the best way that I can describe (his approach). I don't think people understand exactly what I am talking about, necessarily, in my resignation letter, what I am talking about is stopping 91% of child sexual abuse online.'The ability for children to take the naked images of themselves and do live streaming of their own sexual abuses is something that I had to try and stop.' Josh Simons, the Labour MP quitting to allow Mr Burnham to try to win his Makerfield seat in a by-election, said that if the GM mayor was elected Labour should unite behind himMs Phillips said the process of trying to push for legislation to force tech companies to crack down on child sexual abuse images was 'frustrating'.She added: 'That level of timidity on something that could stop child abuse, for example… I don't think that the Prime Minister, for one second, doesn't want to stop that child abuse, of course he does.'But the willingness to have an argument on this in this instance with tech companies just wasn't there.'
