Keir Starmer's government in turmoil: third resignation within hours

The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls in the government of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Jess Phillips, resigned today, stating that the current Labour Party leadership is not showing enough determination to implement the changes citizens expect.

In a letter addressed to Starmer, Phillips wrote that she considers the prime minister “a good man who cares about the right things,” but that this, in her view, “is not enough,” describing him as “unsuited for leadership.”

“The desire to avoid conflict means that we rarely engage in debate, which leaves opportunities for progress blocked and delayed,” Phillips wrote, according to Sky News.

She added that Labour governments are rare and valuable, recalling that every Labour administration during her lifetime had introduced changes that improved Britain and the world.

“I know you care, but actions, not words, are what matter,” Phillips said in her resignation letter.

“Act in the interest of your country”

British Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones, a junior minister within the UK Ministry of Justice, also resigned from Starmer’s government, citing the Labour Party’s “catastrophic” election results and the need for “decisive and radical changes,” according to her resignation letter released today.

“I urge you to act in the interest of the country and announce a timetable for your departure,” she wrote in her letter to Starmer. She also said it had been an honor to serve as a minister and that she was proud of the reforms she had implemented in the department.

“Nevertheless, we needed to do more and therefore, with a heavy heart, I have no choice but to resign,” Davies-Jones stated.

She described the election defeats in the Welsh Parliament and across the United Kingdom as “catastrophic,” adding that “the country has spoken” and that the election results must be respected.

Davies-Jones, who represented Pontypridd in South Wales, where Labour’s defeat was particularly severe, is the third government member to leave office in a short period of time.

Catastrophic results

Earlier today, British Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities Miatta Fahnbulleh resigned, becoming the first minister in Starmer’s government to step down while also calling on Starmer to do the same.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure within the government to consider a timetable for his resignation after more than 80 Labour MPs called for him to step down following the Labour Party’s disastrous election results across England, Scotland, and Wales last week.

Starmer chaired a cabinet meeting today, with ministers reportedly divided over his future, the BBC reported, adding that six ministerial aides had been replaced after resigning or calling on Starmer to present a timeline for his own departure.

On Monday, Starmer said that Labour’s poor performance in the local elections had hit him hard and that he takes responsibility for it, but that he does not intend to resign.