Keir Starmer's future. Can someone explain please?

[CompetitionMyArse]

So the leader of Scottish Labour has held a press conference calling for KS's resignation. No official word from Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner or Ed Milliband yet but the rest of the cabinet seem to be coming out of the woodwork one by one to rally round KS.

If KS did resign this week would there have to be a general election? I thought I heard a journalist say earlier that there would, but I'm not sure if I caught him correctly. And I'm not sure I understand why/how that would be the case, but I think it's something to do with the timing re: by-elections? Can someone enlighten me please?

Is this why the cabinet are largely coming out in support of Starmer? And why Starmer is hanging on for dear life? Because they know they'll be absolute toast if a GE is triggered?

If he resigned and it didn't need to trigger a general election, do you think we'd hearing different things from people like Lammy and Yvette Cooper?

Is it too much of a conspiracy theory / cynic to say that this is Trump retaliation for Starmer going to China, so bring down Mandelson to bring down Starmer ? After all, all the blackmail material that was once held by Epstein is now seemingly controlled by Trump ?

Well in reality that's happening already. This lot have governed to a completely different set of standards and a vastly different agenda/manifesto to the one they were elected on, haven't they?

Have they actually done any of what they said they'd do without u-turning on it yet?

Where are you seeing hypocrisy? Starmer hasn’t resigned, there isn’t a new PM. Why do right wingers spend so much time making stuff up in their heads to be upset by?

This lack of party discipline is insane. They spend more time fighting amongst themselves than the other parties. They are completely squandering their majority. But honestly, this just underlines my belief that the Labour Party is far too broad a church to be effective. They need to split into a Blairite wing that can team up with the Tory wets to form a centrist party and then leave the left to it.

Public pressure can’t force an election. Nothing except rebellion of the government back benchers can.

My point in posting the article about Cameron is that the cries of 'lefty hypocrisy' don't take into account that calling for a GE is something that happens every time from both parties.

It's almost as if people don't understand how it all works. Which would make sense if the last decade hadn't happened.

No, they haven’t governed to a different manifesto, no. They are rattling through manifesto commitments and haven’t broken any. You seem very sure of yourself when you claim not to even know what triggers a general election.

Angela Rayner couldnt be in the running as the tax issue is not resolved. As I understand it, KS resigning would delay sorting the tax issue out further.

"Have they actually done any of what they said they'd do without u-turning on it yet?"

Loads of information on this here....
https://fullfact.org/government-tracker/

I think that should be there wouldn't be a general election unless parliament voted for it

No, that’s not how the English constitution works even if you want it to be like that.

A government decides when to call an election. A vote if no confidence can trigger one but Labour have got a massive majority.

And the general public can’t demand one either.

"And each time the new one came in the Labour party was arguing they didn't have a mandate and there should be a GE."

You are being disingenuous here. In these cases , the candidates after Boris laid out policies (different to those they had been elected on / their manifesto in the ge) to Tory party members only then told everyone they had a democratic mandate. Liz truss in particular you will recall took some very serious economic measures..

If Keir resigns and if the new leader significantly changes policy from their manifesto then I would agree with you

Which docs?

I think that the rest of his party want him gone but they know that it’s not a good time to do it because they don’t have anyone lined up to take his place. Ange still needs to sort out her tax affairs, Wes is too close to the stench of Mandelson, Burnham has been blocked, Milliband has proven unelectable in the past and Mahmoud is too right wing for the backbenchers. Much better to let Kier take the fall for the upcoming shambles that will be the May elections and then rebuild from there. I don’t think any of the other parties are ready either tbh and deep down we all know that switching leaders every 5 minutes makes it look like the UK is ungovernable.

Trump has met with Xi? Why would he be annoyed with Starmer for doing the same?

Not sure I understand this one

Bloody hell Mason! The title and first paragraph are outrageously biased. I haven’t read further.
@tabbycat897 I don’t agree. I don’t think most of the party (parliamentary or otherwise) wants him to go. It’s a small, loud minority.
Starmer prepares to face Labour MPs knowing his future is in the balance www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxg6xr2d55o

The right wing media in full flow

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/09/left-starmer-britain-morgan-mcsweeney-labour

oh wait. unless Owen Jones has had some sort of damascene conversion I’m pretty sure he tends more to the left of centre. Ditto the Graun, or is the latter now parking its tanks on the Telegraph’s lawn?

In fact it seems no stopping them

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/09/jeffrey-epstein-keir-starmer-government-peter-mandelson

Owen Jones is a die hard Corbyn supporter. He criticises everything Starmer does. Don't get me wrong - I voted for Corbyn, it he didn’t succeed and now I’m behind the current leader.

This country is being ruined by various foreign invasions and yet no one seems to want to understand that the PMs are just the little people who change eventually

the only way there would be a general election is if a vote of no confidence was called that could defeat the government. Labour has too big a majority. And because they are doing so badly, no labour MP would support a general election - it would be turkeys voting for Christmas.

I suppose in theory you could have a mass Labour exodus to Reform if enough of the marginals thought they would do better there. I can't be bothered to look up the figures and do the maths but it would need so many to defect that it is improbable.

More likely poor journalism rather than you mis-hearing.

Edit.

Nothing to explain. He’ll be out, sooner or later, but no one has to call an election.