Starmer tells cabinet he will not quit without leadership challenge

Keir Starmer has told his cabinet he will not resign as prime minister, saying the threshold for a leadership challenge has not been met. In comments that effectively dared the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to launch a challenge against him, Starmer said he intended to get on with governing. “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised,” he told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. “The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families. The Labour party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered. “The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.” Starmer convened the cabinet as at least 10 more MPs called on the prime minister to set a timetable to depart, taking the total to more than 80. The communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh became the first minister to quit , on Tuesday morning, with more resignations expected. Darren Jones, Starmer’s chief secretary, said the prime minister was “listening to colleagues” who were asking him to set out a timetable for departure but would make his own decisions about the way forward. He warned the prime minister’s rivals that it was a “gruelling” job. …