Enda Brady: UK Correspondent on the calls for Sir Keir Starmer to resign

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer may survive in the job, for now. 

More than 60 Labour MPs are now publicly calling on the Labour leader to resign or set a timetable for departure following Labour's disastrous performance in local elections last week. 

Four MPs have quit as ministerial aides, calling for fresh leadership. 

But UK correspondent Enda Brady told Ryan Bridge Labour doesn't yet have another option. 

He says there is no clear challenger, or anyone who's sticking their hand up calling on the party to back them and sack Starmer. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now I am denarwed whether to do this, but I'm
about to play you twenty eight seconds of secure Starmer,
and that for a lot of people would probably be
a turn off. However, it's important I do this because
he is literally fighting for his job this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I know I have my doubters, and I know I
need to prove them wrong, and I will. Like every
prime minister, I've learned a lot in the first two
years in the job in terms of the policy challenges
that our country faces. Incremental change won't cut it on growth, defense, Europe, energy.

(00:37):
We need a bigger response that we anticipated in twenty
twenty four.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Fifty five labor INPs now the number according to Sky
that one am gone joining us in the Brady are
UK corresponding in a good morning, good evening.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
To you, Good morning to you, Ryan. Great to speak again,
my friend.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
How long do you think he's got I think until September.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
He survived today, So there's no clear challenger. Nobody has
stuck their head of the parapet and said I'm a
cabinet minister, I will lead this party and this country
better back me and sack Starmer. None of them have
had the guts to do that today. I've literally come
from London from my studio. I had one of Starmer's
friends in the studio with me, a Labor loyalist, and

(01:19):
she said to me on air, that's the kind of
speech I wish he'd given two years ago. So there
is still some support. The party split, and I think
it's split three ways in terms of who comes next
or who they want to come next. But he has
survived day one.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
I was watching Lorrain Beavis in Pay for Blackpool Northern Fleetwood.
How sid for our party to rediscover its connection with
working class communities like mine, we need a democratic contest
involving the most talented leaders. A Kebnet appointment without consulting
the party and the movement would risk repeating the same
mistakes already made. Do you agree.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Look, Labor do things very differently. Conservatives love a bit
of regicide. They get rid of a leader when they
were in charge, that they did it every few weeks.
I mean they'd three prime ministers in a year if
you can believe Liz Trusts famously being outlasted by a Lettus.
I think what Labour need to do now is to

(02:18):
coalesce around one serious challenger. The best person for the job,
I believe isn't even a member of Parliament. This is
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, a very good leader,
a good communicator, previously a Cabinet minister and someone from
the North of England who will get those working class
communities back on side. But for him to get in
he needs to become an MP and then challenge Starmer.

(02:41):
There are other names in the frame. The Health Secretary
web Streeting apparently fancies his chances. So does Angela Rayner,
the former Deputy Prime Minister, but there's an issue over
her tax affairs, so she's waiting to be cleared on that.
So Starmer has time, but he needs to start delivering.
Working people in the UK are struggling, they're angry, and

(03:01):
then you've got Majel Farage telling them that come vote
for me, I'll sort all your problems. That's the conundrum.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
And Brady, a UK correspondent, Good to have you on
the show this morning.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
As a way for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to news Talks it'd be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.