UK’s Keir Starmer faces likely challenge following Labour’s election defeat

The UK prime minister is set to give a speech in a bid to convince the public of his leadership.United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to face a leadership challenge amid calls from parliamentarians for him to step down following the Labour Party’s stunning loss in local elections.Backbencher Labour MP Catherine West urged cabinet ministers to “move quickly” to replace him, saying she planned to email her colleagues for the necessary support on Monday morning if no one else put themselves forward.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Medics among 51 killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanonlist 2 of 3Russia and Ukraine accuse the other of ceasefire violationslist 3 of 3Risks and rewards in France-Kenya partnershipend of listMore than 30 Labour MPs have said Starmer should resign or set out timetables for his departure, including his former ally Josh Simons, who wrote in The Times that Starmer had “lost the country”.Last week’s elections saw Labour lose almost 1,500 councillors in England, largely to Reform UK and The Greens. In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat, ending the party’s 27 years in power there. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party retained its position, with Labour coming second.Others remain supportive of the prime minister, including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who told Sky News that she did not believe “a leadership contest and all of the problems that that would bring is the answer”.Starmer is set to give a speech on Monday, along with the king’s speech on Wednesday, that will attempt to convince the public and his party of his leadership. In it, he is expected to argue that his government will be “defined by rebuilding our relationship and by putting Britain at the heart of Europe”, the Reuters news agency reported.Labour failed to sustain ‘public’s trust’In an op-ed in The Guardian on Friday, Starmer took responsibility for the results, noting the Labour Party has “not sustained the public’s trust that we are doing enough” to deliver change. He said while it was important to respond to the message voters sent, “that doesn’t mean tacking right or left”.