Catherine West, the Labour MP who initially announced a challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership, has now changed her position. Instead, she is calling on the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure by September.
West, who represents Hornsey and Friern Barnet and previously served as a Foreign Office minister, said on Saturday she would try to gather the 81 Labour MPs needed to formally challenge Starmer. She explained this was just a way to encourage others to step forward and that she had no intention of taking over herself.
In a statement released after Starmer’s speech on Monday morning—where he said he would keep fighting despite Labour’s poor results in last week’s elections—West called for an orderly process for Starmer to leave. She said: “I have listened to the prime minister’s speech this morning. I welcome the renewed energy and ideas. However, I have reluctantly concluded that this morning’s speech was too little, too late.
“The results last Thursday show that the prime minister has failed to inspire hope. What is best for the party and country now is an orderly transition. I am hereby notifying No 10 that I am collecting names of Labour MPs to ask the prime minister to set a timetable for electing a new leader in September.”
Under Labour rules, at least 81 MPs—20% of the parliamentary party—must support a challenge for it to go ahead. This means West’s plan to simply gather names calling for a future contest would have no official force under the rules, but would instead act as a de facto vote of no confidence.
West’s change of plan may ease some of the urgency, especially as expected rivals like Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Starmer’s former deputy Angela Rayner were thought to be preparing immediate bids.
A longer timetable could give Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, time to potentially return to parliament and join the contest. However, after his speech, Starmer said whether Burnham would be allowed to do so was still up to Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which blocked him in January.
Speaking at a Communication Workers Union conference in Bournemouth on Monday, Rayner said Burnham should not have been stopped from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which Labour then lost. “It was a mistake that the leadership of our party should put right,” Rayner said. She added that Labour should put “the common interests ahead of factionalism.”
In what was widely seen as a make-or-break speech in London on Monday morning, Starmer said he would fight any leadership challenge and would not walk away from his responsibilities as prime minister.
He promised to seek a new deal with the EU, including a broad youth mobility scheme, nationalise British steel, and offer a stronger youth guarantee of jobs and apprenticeships.
But he warned his critics in the party that they risked opening the door to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, and said it was time to take a tougher stance against the right. “We are not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents,” he said, adding that Labour was the last defence against the country heading down a “very dark path.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Catherine West stepping back from challenging Starmer while urging him to step down by September
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who is Catherine West
Catherine West is a Labour Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green She has been a vocal critic of party leadership in the past
2 What does stepped back from challenging Starmer mean
It means she has decided not to formally run against Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party even though she disagrees with him
3 So is she supporting him or not
Not exactly She is not challenging him for the top job but she is publicly calling for him to resign as leader by September So she wants him gone but she wont be the one to try to replace him
4 Why does she want him to step down by September
She believes the party needs a new direction and that Starmers leadership is not working well enough to win the next general election September is seen as a deadline to avoid a long damaging leadership contest
5 Is she the only one saying this
No West is part of a group on the left of the Labour Party who are unhappy with Starmers policies and direction though her approach is more moderate than some
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 What is the strategic logic behind not challenging but calling for resignation
Its a twopart strategy First it avoids a messy public leadership contest that could split the party and hurt election chances Second it puts pressure on Starmer to go voluntarily making him look weak if he stays while West avoids the risk of losing a challenge and being sidelined
7 What specific policies or decisions is she unhappy with
West has publicly criticized Starmer for not being bold enough on public ownership for backing away from major green investment promises and for failing to unite the party after the internal battles over Brexit and antiSemitism
8 What are the potential consequences for Catherine West if Starmer ignores her
If Starmer stays past September West could face disciplinary action from the party whip for disloyalty or she could be marginalized within the parliamentary party However if Starmer loses the next election her stance may be seen as prescient
