Such is the situation in London

British government crisis

Four resignations and a king: That’s the situation in London

The king opens parliament in the middle of the deep government crisis. Prime Minister Kier Starmer must continue to fight for his office.

Actually, all eyes in the British Parliament should be on King Charles III today. be directed. With a crown and robe, the monarch will ceremoniously open the session from 12.30 (CEST) and read out the proposed legislation – but in the midst of the deep government crisis, it is still unclear who will implement them in the coming months. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has to fight for his office every day; his party is divided.

Since the regional elections on Thursday, which were disastrous for Labor, four junior ministers (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) have resigned in protest against the Prime Minister, as have several government employees. According to consistent media reports, the number of MPs calling on Starmer to resign has risen to at least 80.

The number would be enough to force him into a so-called leadership election within the party. But the critics would have to unite behind an opposing candidacy, and it doesn’t look like that at the moment. The name of Health Minister Wes Streeting keeps coming up, but he has not yet commented publicly on it. According to the BBC and Sky News, Starmer is meeting Streeting today for talks before the opening of Parliament.

Hardly any opponents have commented from outside in the past few hours. In the regional elections, the right-wing populists from Reform UK triumphed with Brexit champion Nigel Farage, the 62-year-old wants to become prime minister. The big Labor dispute should come in handy for reform. The next British general election is actually planned for 2029 – the deeper the crisis becomes, the higher the chances of an early election become.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister survived a crisis cabinet meeting unscathed. Several ministers then publicly expressed their confidence in Starmer. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy called on the BBC to “take a step back” and not play into Farage and Reform’s hands. Starmer has his “full support”. In addition, no one came forward to stand as an opposing candidate.

There was also a statement from more than 100 MPs warning of a leadership election. The party “experienced a devastatingly bad election result,” it says, according to the PA news agency. The task of winning back the voters’ favor is difficult. That’s why work on this must begin immediately, “by all of us working together to implement the change that the country needs.”

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said through a spokesman that she was undeterred in doing her job. It had previously been reported that the minister was among those who suggested Starmer resign soon in a confidential conversation. That’s why their withdrawal was expected during Tuesday. However, as with all major ministerial positions, this did not happen.