Starmer defies calls to quit as UK borrowing costs rise

Junior minister Miatta Fahnbulleh resigned from her government post on Tuesday, becoming the first to directly call on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to set a timetable for his departure, citing public loss of trust over issues including the scrapped winter fuel payment. The Peckham MP, who served as minister for devolution, announced her decision on X, urging the Prime Minister to "do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition." Jess Phillips, a well-known Labour lawmaker and women's rights campaigner, subsequently became one of three junior ministers to resign on Tuesday, joining more than 80 lawmakers who have publicly called on Starmer to step aside after a poor showing in local elections. At a cabinet meeting, Starmer defied the growing pressure, telling ministers he would continue governing despite a "destabilizing" 48 hours, and emphasized that no official process to trigger a leadership contest had been initiated. He acknowledged the political turmoil was causing real economic costs, noting that borrowing costs had risen to their highest in nearly 30 years. While several loyal ministers offered support, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, widely expected to launch a leadership bid, left Downing Street without comment. Streeting's allies argue he would be a better communicator than Starmer. Fahnbulleh, an ally of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, has publicly backed Andy Burnham as a successor, telling the BBC that the party should not have a "stitch up" and that Burnham should be allowed to run. However, Burnham does not hold a parliamentary seat required to mount a challenge, while another potential contender, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, has yet to resolve tax issues that prompted her resignation last year. Removing Starmer requires 81 Labour lawmakers to rally behind a single candidate, a threshold that has not yet been reached.