The Labour Party is in a glum swirl - no one can be certain what happens nextpublished at 07:16 BST 11 May

07:16 BST 11 May

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, PA

So what happens after Starmer's speech? How do Labour MPs react?

Does Catherine West, the former minister who has said she is willing to challenge the prime minister to try to force a contest, decide to back down, or press ahead?

Does the prime minister manage to put people off challenging him, at least for now?

Or is there a flood of anguish that leaves his position untenable and tempts one of the challengers to go for it?

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in particular, faces a massive call in the next couple of days. He has said he won't challenge Sir Keir, but is prepared to make his case if it becomes clear the prime minister is a goner.

So does he go for it, or not?

Some who would like to see him replace Sir Keir think this might be his very best chance, before Andy Burnham can get back to Westminster.

It is worth emphasising that it is not easy to dislodge a sitting prime minister who doesn't want to budge and, up until now at least, Sir Keir has given every indication he wants to stick around.

But what a moment he confronts and his party confronts.

The Labour Party is in a glum swirl right now, where no one can be certain what will happen next.

Whatever does – or doesn't – happen will have consequences for us all.

• Read Chris Mason's full analysis here

Image source, Reuters

One of the most high-profile Labour interventions over the weekend came from former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

"What we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change," she warned in a lengthy statement on Sunday. "This may be our last chance."

Though she stopped short of launching her own leadership bid, Rayner called for "immediate action to cut costs for households," action to help struggling high streets, a rising minimum wage and more public and community ownership "across the board".

She also called for the return to Westminster of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham - seen as a possible challenger to Starmer. The prime minister stopped Burnham standing in February's Gorton and Denton by-election.

"It is time to acknowledge that blocking Andy Burnham was a mistake," she said, adding Labour needed to bring "our best players into Parliament".

Image source, Reuters

In his speech today, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will promise bolder action, and a closer relationship with the EU.

"We will face up to the big challenges and we will make the big arguments," we expect the PM to say, according to extracts of his speech released by Downing Street.

"To meet the challenges that our country faces incremental change won't cut it. On growth, defence, Europe, energy – we need a bigger response than we anticipated in 2024 because these are not ordinary times."

Ahead of the King's Speech on Wednesday - in which the government sets out its legislative plans - Starmer will say: "Strength through fairness. It’s a core Labour argument. And you will see those values writ large in the King’s Speech.

"And you will see hope, urgency and exactly whose side we are on."

On Europe, he will say: "This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship and by putting Britain at the heart of Europe. So that we are stronger on the economy, on trade, on defence, you name it."

Starmer will add that "standing shoulder to shoulder with the countries that most share our interests" is "the right choice for Britain".

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will give a major speech this morning, as he tries to win over Labour MPs following the party's bruising election results on Thursday.

Starmer will promise bolder action to tackle "big challenges" facing the country, and will also pledge to put Britain "at the heart of Europe" by seeking closer ties with the EU.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner warned on Sunday that Labour faced its "last chance" after the election losses and called on Starmer to "meet the moment" with bolder action. We'll have more on that soon.

Over the weekend, backbench Labour MP Catherine West said she could try to trigger a leadership contest if she still feels "dissatisfied" after Starmer's speech.

Labour lost in the elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments on Thursday, and lost almost 1,500 councillors in local elections across England. You'll be able to watch Starmer's speech live on this page - and we'll have all the key lines and analysis before then.

Image source, Getty Images

"We have a problem and we have to move quickly" - those were the words of Labour MP Catherine West this morning, after threatening to challenge Keir Starmer unless the cabinet can agree on a replacement.

On Saturday, she said she would challenge the PM herself if a cabinet minister didn't step forward by Monday.

Tempering her tone a little this morning, she told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg she would listen to what Starmer has to say in a planned speech on Monday, but would "put out a call for names" if still dissatisfied.

West would need the backing of 81 Labour MPs to successfully trigger a challenge - she says she has 10 already. Here's how the process works.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the party was given a "real kicking" in Thursday's elections in England, Scotland and Wales, and conceded there are "big and serious issues that we have to address".

But she said she doesn't believe the message the party should take from the elections is that it should take time "fighting amongst ourselves". The government needs to "tell a better story" and "deliver faster", she said.

We've not seen Starmer today, but in interviews with The Sunday Mirror and The Observer, the prime minister has argued he wants to continue and deliver on a "10-year project of renewal".

Starmer will try to reset his premiership in a major speech on Monday before Wednesday's King's Speech, in which the government will set out the new laws it intends to pass in the coming year.

We're ending our live coverage now. You can read more here:

• 'We need to move quickly,' says Labour MP seeking to challenge PM
• Tories are still biggest party on the right, claims Cleverly
• Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth hopes to be first minister on Tuesday

James Cook
Scotland editor

Image source, Getty Images

The former Labour first minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, has blamed "public disappointment with the UK government" and a poor campaign strategy for his party's worst ever Holyrood election performance.

Labour lost four seats in Thursday's Scottish Parliamentary election, leaving it with 17 MSPs - far fewer than the SNP's 58.

Writing in The Sunday Times, Lord McConnell says many in Scottish Labour would be "angry that UK Labour psychodramas" had turned the election into a referendum on the UK government rather than the SNP.

"The prime minister will only survive these devastating results across England, Scotland and Wales if his government can step up and deliver the scale of change the country craves," he writes.

McConnell was Scotland's first minister from 2001 to 2007, and he criticises the strategy of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, which he says was "never going to galvanise Scottish voters".

Among his suggestions for improvement, McConnell suggests Westminster should improve relationships with devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast after the elections saw Plaid Cymru and the SNP secure the largest vote shares in their countries.

Labour's internal fallout over the weekend follows the party's defeat in Thursday's elections. Here's a recap of how the political landscape has shifted in England, Wales and Scotland:

In Wales, Labour lost its decades-long control in the country's parliament, or Senedd, after losing 35 seats. Plaid Cymru became the largest party, but fell short of a majority.

Welsh Labour's leader, and former first minister, Eluned Morgan lost her seat and stepped down as party leader.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told the BBC this morning he expects to be affirmed as the new first minister "in the next few days". Ap Iorwerth has also confirmed his party will seek to rule with a minority government.

Image source, PA

In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won its fifth consecutive election but failed to reach a majority.

There were losses for Scottish Labour, who came joint second with Reform, and recorded their worst ever Holyrood election results with 17 seats - the party's leader Anas Sarwar said today he is "absolutely" staying in his post.

Meanwhile, in England's council elections the political landscape shifted dramatically. Reform UK gained more than 1,400 seats as Labour lost just shy of 1,500.

The Greens and Liberal Democrats also made gains, while the Tories lost more than 500 councillors.

And, pressure is building on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister. Some Labour MPs have been voicing their frustration and one, Catherine West, has issued an ultimatum to Starmer's cabinet to challenge his leadership.

Image source, Getty Images

Until yesterday afternoon, Catherine West had rarely made headlines.

But in an unexpected move on Saturday, the former junior Foreign Office minister issued an ultimatum to Keir Starmer's cabinet to challenge the PM, or vowed to do so herself.

While we continue to unpick the political fallout following Labour's heavy election losses, we've taken a closer look at who she is.

In Parliament

West is the Labour MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet in north London, having first been elected in May 2015 to represent Hornsey and Wood Green.

She currently sits on the Treasury Select Committee and also serves as trade envoy to Pakistan.

On the front bench

She had stints as a shadow minister in the Foreign Office from 2015-2017 and 2020-2024, first under Jeremy Corbyn's party leadership and then later under Starmer's.

West was sacked from the role by Corbyn in 2017 for defying him over a vote on the EU single market.

She served as the minister for the Indo Pacific in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office from 2024 to 2025.

Away from Westminster

She was born in Australia and moved to London in 1998 when her husband got a job at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, according to local news publication Ham and High., external

The mother of two speaks five languages, according to her profile on the Labour website, and was awarded MP of the Year by the Patchwork Foundation in December 2022.

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Within the Labour Party there is a divide.

This morning, we've heard calls from some Labour MPs for Starmer to resign but Bridget Phillipson - the education secretary in the PM's cabinet - has repeated her continuing support.

On Saturday, Labour MP Catherine West issued an ultimatum to Starmer's cabinet: challenge the PM, or I will. She also said she has the support of 10 MPs, but will need at least 81 to challenge Starmer's leadership.

Today, she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that Labour must "move quickly" to install a new leader following heavy losses in Thursday's elections.

Another Labour MP, Josh Simons, wrote in The Times today that Starmer "has lost the country" and needs to go.

Since then, other Labour MPs, including Clive Lewis and John McDonnell, have voiced their frustration at the prime minister - but refused to endorse West.

On Sunday with Laura Kunessberg, Phillipson told West: "I love you dearly, but I just disagree on this one."

The education secretary said Starmer will set out a "fresh direction" for the country and he will remain Labour leader at the next general election.

West, whose ultimatum gave Starmer's cabinet "until Monday", seemed to scale back her threat a little on Sunday.

She said she will listen to what Starmer has to say in his key speech on Monday, but if she is still dissatisfied then she'll "put out a call for names," paving the way for a leadership contest.

Other than Phillipson, we're yet to hear from any of Starmer's cabinet.

Within the party there is feverish private discussion about the PMs future, writes our political editor Chris Mason. Some anticipate a move from one of the challengers in the coming days, others are desperate for their colleagues to calm down.

Labour MPs on the party's left have voiced frustration at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but stopped short of endorsing Catherine West.

Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, tells the BBC that Starmer needs to set out a timetable for his departure and is "completely out of touch with reality".

Speaking to BBC's Politics East programme, Lewis says he will not back West if she follows through with her leadership bid threat.

He adds that Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is the only person able to give Labour a "fighting chance of resisting a Reform government".

Labour MP for Leeds East Richard Burgon echoed Lewis's remarks but stopped short of endorsing either Burnham or West.

In a post on social media, Burgon says West's bid would be "a cabinet stitch up - a kind of palace coup", which he adds would not be seen by the public as "a clean break".

And, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell says West is "reflecting the upset in her constituency," but he doesn't believe hers is "the right approach".

James Cook
Scotland editor

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says he is "absolutely" staying in post after the party’s worst-ever Holyrood election results.

But he refused to say how long he would remain in the job, and did not commit to leading his party into the next election.

"I see my job as holding my party together," he told The Sunday Show on BBC One Scotland this morning.

Sarwar said he took his "fair share" of responsibility for the result but insisted there had been "a national wave" in Thursday’s elections across Britain which he had been unable to overcome.

He said he stood by his call for PM Keir Starmer to resign and described the outcome in Scotland as "disappointing and hurtful".

Sarwar added that he had believed the Scottish party "could cut through the national noise" but admitted it had "failed to do so".

• Follow live news and analysis of the Scottish election result here

Image source, Getty Images

Labour MP Catherine West, who has issued an ultimatum to Starmer's cabinet, says she will wait to hear what the PM says on Monday before "putting out a call for names" to back her.

The prime minister's speech tomorrow will likely touch on the leadership row within the Labour party, but it is billed to be about him promising closer ties with the European Union.

On the EU, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says the PM's reset plan is "far too weak and unambitious".

"Without a much deeper, more ambitious trade deal with Europe, we won't see the growth we desperately need, and the forces of populism on both left and right will only grow," he says.

He also calls on possible Labour leadership contenders to be more ambitious "on everything from trade to defence".

We can bring you more now from Josh Simons, the latest Labour MP to call for Keir Starmer to go.

Writing in The Times, external, the MP for Makerfield, in north-west England, says the party needs "radicalism, energy, and immense courage".

"Over the coming months, how the Labour Party conducts itself matters," he writes. He adds that Starmer should lead a transition to a new prime minister.

He warns the alternative "risks handing Farage the keys to Downing Street and giving up on working class people".

Simons' resignation - a recap

"I am perhaps not an obvious person to say this," he writes, explaining that he "resigned as a minister because of bad judgements I made while leading Labour Together".

As a reminder, Simons resigned on 28 February after facing claims that Labour Together, the think tank he used to run, commissioned a report that looked into journalists' backgrounds.

"I was naive and there's a lot I've learned from it," he told BBC's Newscast in March.

Turning back to Kuenssberg now, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iowerth says his party will need to build a "mature, co-operative sense within the Welsh Parliament that can let us move forward".

Ap Iowerth is asked if he is sure he is going to be the first minister of Wales as he needs support from other parties to do so.

He responds: "Our expectation is that in the next few days we will be able to go through that very important act of affirming my role as first minister so we can crack on with doing what we have said we want to do which is to take Wales forward to the next step in its history."

With that, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg comes to an end. Stay with us for a recap of what we heard and more on the latest call from a Labour MP for Starmer to resign.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Image source, UK Parliament/PA

We’ve just had another Labour MP call for the prime minister to go.

Josh Simons, who was a minister until a few weeks ago, was forced to resign over a report he commissioned into the origins of a leak before he was an MP.

He’s important because he was a senior figure in Labour Together - which helped Keir Starmer win the Labour leadership.

Simons writes in The Times, external: "I do not believe the prime minister can rise to this moment. He has lost the country. He should take control of the situation by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister."

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

The Conservative Party is the biggest party on the British right, James Cleverly tells Kuenssberg.

He adds that all other parties are doing a "pick and mix of populist policies".

Hitting out at Reform UK, Cleverly says it is "not delivering a centre-right, right wing, position" and accuses them of being "a cult of personality".

"Nigel [Farage] is not a policy, being angry at stuff is not a policy," Cleverly says.

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

Reform UK's deputy leader is next in the hot seat.

Richard Tice says his party, who gained more than 1,400 seats in England's council elections, "repainted the whole of the red wall".

He calls their gains in the elections a "seismic earthquake".

Asked how the party will keep up momentum, he says with "hard work".

Reform is under more scrutiny now than ever before, he says, adding that voters have doubled down, saying: "We want more Reform."

Are we on the verge of a Labour leadership election?published at 09:46 BST 10 May

09:46 BST 10 May

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Catherine West has told the BBC she will listen to the prime minister's speech tomorrow - before deciding whether to push for the 81 nominations she needs to be a formal challenger.

There are no signs this morning that the cabinet is moving against the prime minister. Bridget Phillipson was out this morning urging against that - and Wes Streeting's allies have played down the idea that West's intervention has changed anything.

Things could change over the next few hours, though. We've still not heard from Angela Rayner.

And if West does start to pick up support, it might prompt others to rethink their strategy.

Tomorrow - with the prime minister's speech and subsequent reaction - is going to be a big one (I know we say that a lot).

This week's programme began with a punchy exchange between Catherine West and Bridget Phillipson.

West called on Saturday for a challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership from cabinet ministers, or she will do it herself.

Here's a look back at what she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg this morning:

'We have a problem and have to move quickly'

West says Starmer's cabinet needs to "reflect on the result from Thursday, where the voters sent us a very strong message that we're not good enough".

She adds that Labour has "a problem and have to move quickly".

"We need to install a new leader who can take us towards beating Reform in the general election to come, and give us a second term," she adds.

Can she get support from enough MPs?

Kuenssberg pressed West on whether she can gather the backing from 81 Labour MPs - the number needed to trigger a leadership challenge.

In response, West says she will listen to what Starmer says on Monday, but if she is still dissatisfied, she'll "put out a call for names".

What about Andy Burnham?

On the Greater Manchester mayor, who some Labour MPs want to make a bid for leadership, West says we'll know who the "runners and riders are" when a timetable for Starmer's replacement is provided by the Labour party's chair.

Phillipson is shown a list of MPs who have voiced their concerns about Keir Starmer's leadership and what the prime minister will do differently.

Starmer will set out a "fresh direction" for the country.

Asked if Starmer will be leader of the Labour Party at the next general election she says: "Yes."