'We need to move quickly,' says Labour MP seeking to challenge PM

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'We need to move quickly,' says Labour MP seeking to challenge PM1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleKate WhannelPolitics reporterBBCFormer minister Catherine West has threatened to launch a leadership contest"We have a problem and we need to move quickly," Labour MP Catherine West has said as she defended her efforts to trigger a leadership challenge against the prime minister. The north London MP has said she would prefer to see a Cabinet member put themselves forward to replace Sir Keir Starmer but that she would consider doing so herself if they did not act. Speaking to the 's Laura Kuenssberg, West said she would listen to Sir Keir's planned relaunch speech on Monday but would mount a challenge if she remained "dissatisfied".

Addressing the MP directly on the same programme, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "I love you dearly Catherine, but we just disagree on this one". The senior minister acknowledged her party had taken "a real kicking" from voters in Thursday's elections but said it was not a sign Labour should "spend time talking amongst ourselves, arguing amongst ourselves, fighting amongst ourselves". "We do need to tell a better story, we do need to deliver faster," she said.

The Details

The party lost almost 1,500 councillors in England, mainly to Reform UK and the Greens, and was kicked out of power in Wales. Labour came joint second in Scotland, where the SNP retained control of the Parliament. At a glance: Election results so farWhat latest election results show us in maps and chartsSir John Curtice: Election results show politics in the UK has fragmentedElections 2026: Follow updates and reaction liveWest, a former junior minister, is not bidding to be the next Labour leader and prime minister herself, but by triggering a leadership contest she would be aiming to flush out heavyweight contenders she thinks could do a better job than Sir Keir.

In order to trigger a leadership contest, 20% of Labour MPs - 81 people - would have to back her. She has said she currently has 10 MPs who would be prepared to endorse her. More than 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for the prime minister to resign or to set out a timetable for his departure.

West told the : "I will hear what the prime minister's got to say tomorrow and, then if I'm still dissatisfied, I will put out my email to the Parliamentary Labour Party, asking for names. "And the reason I'm doing that is not for me. It's for working people, because Labour is the only party that can beat Reform.

"Asked if she could gather enough names to start a contest, the Hornsey and Friern Barnet MP said: "We will find out when I put out my email to the Parliamentary Labour Party. "But what we need is that timetable from the chair of the party , and she and I are very good friends, she knows, I've asked her for an orderly transition into a leadership election.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.