The leader of one of Labour’s biggest union backers has warned the party is at risk of “going extinct” if it does not change direction as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to fend off a leadership ultimatum.
The prime minister has vowed to lead Labour into the next general election and has promised to forge closer ties with Europe as he deals with the fallout from disastrous results for the party in the local election.
Labour MP Catherine West has issued an ultimatum to cabinet members, telling them to challenge Sir Keir by Monday, or she will start formally gathering names to trigger a contest.
In a damning assessment of Labour’s performance, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the party has “abandoned the working class, and the working class have now abandoned Labour”.
Warning Labour must take “a completely different economic direction and political direction”, she told the BBC: “I actually think we're in a situation here where they could be extinct. There's no God given right for Labour to exist.”
Local election results on Saturday underlined the challenge facing Sir Keir, with Reform taking control in Barnsley and pushing Labour out of office in Bradford while a Green surge took Lewisham and forced Labour out in Lambeth for the first time in 20 years.
