Across the country, so many hard-working Labour councillors lost their seat on Thursday through no fault of their own. I want to thank them for their service and dedication.
In a bad week, I always find it helpful to go back to the words of the only Labour Leader who triumphed in four general elections, Harold Wilson: âThe Labour Party is a moral crusade, or it is nothing."
Everyone needs a quality education, a secure job with decent pay, and a secure and affordable home. Every family needs the chance to thrive. That's why I am incredibly proud that Labour's Clean Energy Plan is delivering new jobs with good wages and protections. That's why I am incredibly proud of Labourâs free breakfast clubs and the thousands of new council homes delivered by Labour local authorities. This is what a Labour Government working with Labour mayors and Labour councils can do. But to keep on delivering, we need to stay in power.
I was honoured to serve under Keir Starmer's leadership, both in opposition and in government. All of us in the Labour Party are thankful to Keir, for the great 2024 General Election result, for the previous period in opposition from 2020-2024 when we improved our credibility and electability, and the good work in government since. I personally get on well with Keir.
But his approach is not cutting through, and the results over the past 48 hours are nothing short of disastrous. Of course midterm elections often donât go well for governing parties. But this is not a midterm blip. Unless things change, we risk Nigel Farage becoming prime minister.
That's why, with much regret and sadness, I firmly believe that Keir should outline his intention to resign as prime minister and oversee an orderly transition.
The Labour Party need the chance to have an honest conversation about how we deliver the change we promised in 2024, and that requires new leadership which understands the urgent and real concerns of people across the UK. We need to be much better at telling our story. Are people actually seeing the change that they voted for? Most importantly, what is change about? â Itâs about hope. Sadly, the prime minister is not inspiring hope.
Labour has achieved so much in government since 2024. The Employment Rights Act, the Rentersâ Rights Act, the Hillsborough Law, and the new partnership with the European Union. But these catastrophic local election results show that, sadly, Keir has not found a way of taking people with him on the journey. In fact, most people think itâs a journey with no destination. The prime minister has not managed to articulate his vision. Keir had said himself that we need to rebuild. But we can only rebuild from here with a new leader.
Keir has demonstrated strong leadership on the world stage and is well placed to represent the UK's national interest while this process takes place and may even continue in an international role in the future but for now, I know I speak for more Labour people than just myself in wanting him to step aside as our leader.
The first step is for the Cabinet to try and find a solution that would not require a leadership election. If this cannot be agreed, then the Labour Party needs to set a process in place and agree a timetable for a Leadership election at pace to elect a Labour top team to take on Reform. This should be respectful and collegial. But we cannot drag it out. The back of the Labour Party membership card says it all: âby the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone.â Now is the time for party to unite and find a way forward. We owe it to families across the country who need Labour to stay in power.
Catherine West is Labour MP for Hornsey & Friern Barnet
