'I take responsibility for not walking away!' Keir Starmer sets up showdown with Labour MPs as PM refuses to quit

Sir Keir Starmer has set up a showdown with Labour MPs after he refused to quit in his "reset" speech earlier today.

In the make-or-break address this afternoon, the Prime Minister sought to smooth over mounting leadership threats in the wake of Labour's disastrous 2026 Local Elections campaign.

Sir Keir's party received a battering at the polls, losing their 27-year-long grip on the Senedd and dropping level with Reform in Scotland.

Labour also lost swathes of council seats in England, with Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski benefitting from Sir Keir's collapse.

Over the weekend, former minister Catherine West spearheaded a push to "call on the Prime Minister to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September".

Sir Keir today accepted the blame but refused to give in to mounting calls to throw in the towel.

In the speech today, the Prime Minister said: "I take responsibility for not walking away, not plunging our country into chaos, as the Tories did.

"A Labour Government would never be forgiven for inflicting that on our country again."

Grilled on whether his premiership might crumble if a party colleague challenges him, he declared he was "not going to walk away".

He even added that he would stand in the possible leadership election if a race was called.

The Prime Minister, when questioned over whether he considered leaving Downing Street after Labour suffered a severe mauling at the ballot box last week, said he would "not inflict constantly changing leaders" on working people.

He said: "I think what we witnessed with the last government was the chaos of constantly changing leaders and it cost this country a huge amount, a huge amount.

"And I’ll tell you who paid the price, it was working people. They paid the price for this, they are still paying the price of this.

LABOUR LATEST:

• Keir Starmer fails to calm bond markets over leadership challenge as Britain's borrowing costs rise
• Angela Rayner attacks Keir Starmer in keynote speech as she takes swipe at PM
• Britain’s housing benefits bill to hit record £38.8bn as Labour set to fall short on building target

"A Labour Government will not inflict that on our country again. We were elected with a mandate to change this country because of what had gone before and that is what we will do.

"Yes, I acknowledge the frustration, yes, I acknowledge the results are tough, yes, I acknowledge that we’ve lost brilliant representatives across the United Kingdom.

"I have a responsibility for that but I also have a responsibility to deliver the change that we were elected and that we promised this country, and I’ll deliver on that."

"I know I have my doubters and I know I have to prove them wrong, and I will," Sir Keir added.

After Sir Keir delivered his speech earlier today, leadership rival Angela Rayner declared that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham should be allowed to run for Parliament.

Back in February, the so-called "King of the North" was denied the chance to run for the Gorton & Denton by-election by Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Ms Rayner said the refusal was a "mistake that the leadership of our party should put right".

When asked if Mr Burnham could make a grand return to Westminster, Sir Keir simply said: "Andy is going a great job in Manchester. If the matter arises, it will be a matter for the NEC."