The UK’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief has called for Sir Keir Starmer to stand down as Prime Minister for the “sake of the country”.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, David Smith, who is also the Labour MP for North Northumberland said the “shattering” results of last week’s local and national elections had led to many Labour councillors and members of the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments paying “a price that was not theirs to pay”. He called on the Labour Party to “return to being the party of the working-class”.
Acknowledging a debt of gratitude to the Prime Minister for turning Labour around ahead of the landslide results of the 2024 General Election, Smith said that Sir Keir should, as a “man of integrity” take responsibility for his actions and pass on the leadership baton.
Smith said Labour needs to change its approach over the next three years in order to win back the electorate on issues such as the economy, immigration and the re-building of the armed forces. He said it was vital to deliver on these issues in order “to avoid the disaster that the populism of the Right or the Left would bring us”.
Before becoming an MP in 2024, Smith, who’s a Christian was chief executive of homelessness charity, Oasis Community Housing. He has also worked at Tearfund and the Bible Society. In his statement he said he also wants to see a “Beveridge Report for the 21st Century that re-aligns our Social Security net with modern lives”, an industrial strategy and a comprehensive plan to enable energy security.
He concluded: “I therefore believe that now is the time for the Prime Minister to set a clear timetable for his departure. This departure should be ordered and dignified; for the PM himself, for the government but most of all for the sake of the country.”
The Prime Minister had been hopefd a speech on Monday morning would win over Labour MPs disgruntled at the party’s drubbing in the polls. However, former minister Catherine West has said she is gathering the names of Labour MPs to call on Sir Keir to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September having concluded his speech was "good, but doesn't outweigh the results from last Thursday".
Hannah Rich, director of Christians on the Left told Premier Christian News there was a “chaotic mood” in the Labour party at the moment, with lots of different opinions among MPs over whether Sir Keir should stay or go. She added that he had “weathered lots of storms up to this point” but that it remains to be seen whether this is still the case.