'Beginning of the end' for Starmer? Expected exit of the Prime Minister 'offers a chance for Labour to drop its Troubles Bill'
The demise of Keir Starmer’s Prime Ministerial career could be a chance for his party to ditch its much-criticised Troubles bill, an MP has said.
Robin Swann, UUP MP for South Antrim, told the News Letter that Sir Keir has lost “the confidence of country, and he’s now losing the confidence of his parliamentary team”, as Sir Keir today vowed to remain in post whilst three of his ministers quit.
Labour heavy-hitter Jess Phillips (safeguarding minister) resigned today alongside Miatta Fahnbulleh (communities minister) and Alex Davies-Jones (victims minister) in the wake of the catastrophic drubbing the party received in last week’s English council and Welsh Parliamentary elections, and its poor performance in the Scottish Parliamentary one.
DUP Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart recalled that Sir Keir had demanded Boris Johnson quit as PM back in 2022, and suggested that he now “follow his own advice”, while her Strangford colleague Jim Shannon told the News Letter “the mood of the people indicates that change is needed”.
Among the over 80 MPs who have called for Sir Keir to go is the former shadow Secretary of State Louise Haigh.
The current Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, had on Sunday declared Sir Keir to be “a serious politician for serious times,” adding he was “elected with a five-year mandate and, quite properly, he intends to see it through".
The News Letter has today tried to contact Mr Benn, and has so far been unable to reach him.
Despite the ructions within his party, Mr Swann told the News Letter: “I don’t think he’s going to go anywhere easily.
"I think we’ll see that lawyer side of him, that training, where he’ll be content to take the fight to those that want to bring it to him.
"I think this is moving towards the beginning of the end, because everything I can see about the steps he’s taken now is about delaying what’s probably going to be the inevitable.”
But there is still no agreement on anyone who could challenge him, added Mr Swann.
As to what his departure may mean for Northern Irish unionists, he said it could present an “opportunity” for Labour to ditch its “destabilising” Troubles legacy plans (which are believed to be favoured by Mr Benn but opposed by the MoD – and which have been condemned by senior retired military figures).
“We can see the difficulty the NI Troubles legislation has caused internally with friction between the Northern Ireland Office and the MoD,” said Mr Swann.
"So a new Prime Minister, a new leadership, may bring an entirely new perspective as to where that goes, because Labour are now aware of the difficulty that legislation will cause among those GB Northern Ireland veterans.
"I’d hope any new Prime Minister, if we do get to that stage, would look afresh at the legislative agenda.”
Ms Lockhart said “the leadership of the Labour Party is a matter for the Labour Party,” adding: “But what I can say is that this Prime Minister has overseen a government which is on the pathway to decimating our supply chains, farming and haulage industries.
"The pursuit of the Net Zero madness only further burdens hardworking families, who are already paying for the lack of any positive controls on immigration.
“In 2022 he posted on social media that the then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign.
"Perhaps he should reflect and follow his own advice from then.
"He will not be missed.”
Mr Shannon told the News Letter that "if I were a Labour MP, I’d be incredibly worried” about the election results.
He said he has spoken to some "lovely, lovely” Labour MPs from Wales “who told me they’ve never experienced the level of abuse on the doors that they’ve had in all their lives” while on the election trail.
"And they are ones with a long pedigree – they’re not all the newbies who came in two years ago,” he said.
Whilst there remain some “diehards” publicly offering support to Sir Keir, “I’d never be entirely convinced by those who say ‘yes, we are fully behind him’, because I think whenever the chips are down – and boy, they are down at this moment – what they might say publicly and what they might do publicly would be two different things”.