King to set out agenda - but will PM be around to deliver it?published at 05:52 BST

05:52 BST

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

This was the day when the prime minister was supposed to get on the front foot to convey a sense of purpose following his party’s dismal performance at last week’s elections.

But while the King will set out the government’s new legislative programme it is still an open question whether Sir Keir remains prime minister long enough to deliver it.

Away from the pomp and ceremony of the King’s speech, behind closed doors the PM will meet a potential leadership challenger, Wes Streeting.

Some of the health secretary'ssupporters have called on the PM to go - and three of them have resigned their ministerial positions.

But allies of Sir Keir are increasingly confident that Streeting has fallen short of gaining the support of the 81 MPs needed to trigger a contest.

Even if they are right, pressure won’t entirely abate as the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is still seeking a return to Westminster.

And last night the PM pulled out of a meeting with the trade unions who help fund the Labour Party. They are expected to issue a statement which will say they don’t want Sir Keir Starmer to lead the party into the next election.

Peter Hoskins
Business reporter

Government borrowing costs jumped on Tuesday amid uncertainty about Starmer's future.

The effective interest rate on borrowing over 10 years ended the day at 5.119%, the highest since July 2008, while the rates for 20 and 30-year borrowing were at the highest level since 1998.

Financial markets have been on edge due to fears higher oil prices caused by the Iran war will push up inflation and lead to interest rate hikes.

But the possibility of a change in No 10 and perceived risk of looser public spending has further unsettled investors.

For the second day in a row, every paper leads on the future of Starmer's premiership.

Several have homed in on a "No 10 showdown" between the PM and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, including the Times. The pair are pictured side by side on the front page of the paper, which reports that a "summit" is due to take place in Downing Street in the hours before the King's Speech. It is not clear whether Streeting will formally call for Starmer to set out a timeline for his departure, the Times says.

Similarly, the Telegraph leads with "Streeting to confront Starmer". It notes that despite telling ministers at Tuesday's "tense" Cabinet meeting that he would discuss the leadership crisis in private, Starmer refused to speak to Streeting at No 10 in the hours that followed.

"Crisis? What crisis?" quips the Sun, echoing a phrase associated with a past Labour prime minister, James Callaghan, during the "Winter of Discontent" of 1979. The paper says Starmer has tried to "shrug off mutiny" in the Labour Party.

You can take a look at all of Wednesday's front pages here.

Having weathered the storm on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for another tough day in Downing Street. Here is what is coming up:

• Streeting showdown: Starmer will meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting, one of his potential leadership challengers, first thing this morning. The BBC has been told Streeting will not be saying anything that might distract from the King's Speech following the meeting
• King’s speech: Marking the start of a new parliamentary session, Starmer's government is due to set out its legislative agenda. King Charles III will deliver the King's Speech, setting out the government's planned new laws for the next Parliamentary session and beyond
• Resignation watch: Four ministers resigned on Tuesday, including prominent MP Jess Phillips who quit as safeguarding minister, and Streeting ally Zubir Ahmed. Will any more follow their lead on Wednesday?
• Resignation calls: More than 80 Labour MPs have urged the PM to stand down, exposing deep divisions over the prime minister's future
• Messages of support: However, Starmer’s cabinet allies and more than 100 MPs have rallied behind the prime minister, warning against a leadership contest

Image source, PA

It was another difficult day in Downing Street on Tuesday as Keir Starmer's political future hung in the balance. Here's a recap of the key developments:

Miatta Fahnbulleh was the first of four ministers to resign on Tuesday as she told the prime minister“the public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I".

This was followed by resignations from Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones and Zubir Ahmed, who joined more than 80 Labour MPs in urging Starmer to quit or draw up a timetable to leave.

But Starmer defied these calls as he told a cabinet meeting he takes responsibility for last week's election results and would "get on with governing" the country.

Meanwhile, more than 100 Labour MPs signed a statement backing the PM, and said "this is no time for a leadership contest".

Starmer is set to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the current turbulence in government, but allies say he will not speak publicly as he does not want to distract from the King’s Speech - which sets out the government's agenda for the year ahead.

The instability surrounding the prime minister's position is sure to overshadow the state opening of parliament, whether Streeting talks to the media or not, writes our political correspondent Joe Pike.

Katie Hunter
BBC Scotland reporter

Image source, PA Wire

The Scottish Labour leader has said it’s a decision for Westminster as to how long the prime minister can stay on.

Anas Sarwar called for Keir Starmer to resign in February.

Today, he told journalists he stands by his position - but that he hadn’t “turned the screws” on colleagues then and he wasn’t doing that now.

Sarwar said he spoke to the prime minister over the weekend and they had “a very open conversation” about the election results and what it means in Scotland.

No 10 has announced a number of new ministerial appointments following the resignation of four government ministers earlier today.

Downing Street says the following MPs have been given new ministerial roles:

• Nesil Caliskan MP as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Natalie Fleet MP as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Home Office
• Catherine Atkinson MP as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice
• Preet Kaur Gill MP as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department of Health and Social Care
• Gen Kitchen MP as comptroller of HM Household (government whip)
• Deirdre Costigan MP as junior lord of the treasury (government whip)
• Shaun Davies MP as assistant whip, House of Commons

The appointments follow the resignations of Zubir Ahmed, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Jess Phillips and Alex Davies-Jones.

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported earlier, 110 Labour MPs were said to have signed a statement opposing a leadership contest.

Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central & Acton, has said she was "surprised" to see her name included on the list.

She adds in a post on X that she had not "either signed any letter supporting the PM or called for the PM to go".

This brings the total number of MPs who are said to have signed the statement down to 109. The BBC has not contacted each MP individually for comment.

Nick Watt
Political editor, BBC Newsnight

I understand that the mood in No 10, among the prime minister's allies, is that he has stabilised his position and he has seen off a potential threat from Wes Streeting.

They believe that Streeting has not got the numbers.

This evening I have heard from a key ally of Keir Starmer, who is a member of the cabinet, and they have told me this: "I think we've seen off Wes, what a day".

They went on to say that they don't see how "Wes can stay in cabinet with any self-respect after this fiasco".

By fiasco, what they mean is they believe that Wes Streeting was making clear his intentions, making clear his ability to challenge the prime minister, with lots of his allies announcing resignations and calling for the PM to go.

However, the Wes Streeting camp have said all along that this has not been a coup, and that the people calling for Starmer to go have come from across the parliamentary party.

Asked about Keir Starmer's future and whether he should stay or go, President Donald Trump said: "That's up to him".

But he added that he believes Starmer should be using the North Sea, as he's "getting killed on energy".

Susana Mendonca
BBC London Political Reporter

Catherine West was the first Labour MP to call for Starmer to step aside at the weekend after the party’s dismal performance in the local elections.

Today, as many other backbenchers and a few junior ministers have also put their heads above the parapet to call for Starmer's departure, the Hornsey & Friern Barnet MP told me: "The real politicians have to stand up now."

She added that there was "no more hand holding. It's the moment".

She didn’t set out who those "real politicians" were, but some may speculate that she’s talking about members of cabinet, and potential contenders to the top job.

It’s no secret that many in London’s Labour ranks are furious about what happened last Thursday in the capital, where we saw a Green surge sweeping away Labour council seats in traditional heartlands.

If Streeting doesn't challenge PM, Starmer could face a longer-term threatpublished at 19:49 BST 12 May

19:49 BST 12 May

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The Health Secretary Wes Streeting is meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow, as we've been reporting.

The approach taken in the Starmer camp to potential challengers is to stick strictly to Labour’s rules, and to resist a timetable for resignation.

This evening David Lammy asserted that no challenger had come forward.

And I am told the PM’s allies are convinced that the health secretary will not be able to produce a list of 81 supporters in his meeting tomorrow – which essentially means that this potential challenge is over before it began.

Some of his backers had written letters suggesting the PM had lost the support of the country and the ministers seen as sympathetic to the health secretary resigned, but that hasn’t convinced Keir Starmer to go.

But some MPs on the party’s right, who would have been assumed to be Streeting supporters, have signed a statement saying now is not the time for a leadership contest.

However, even if Starmer’s allies are right about his level of support, a different challenge isn’t off the agenda.

It’s possible the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could get the required names.

But as he is not an MP, he’d have to get back to parliament first.

Ed Thomas
Reporting from Blackpool

I've spent the day in Blackpool - a town that has changed its political allegiances many times - to speak to locals and holidaymakers.

Lindsey, who is enjoying a drink with her family at the top of Blackpool Tower, says she wants Starmer to stay because she feels like politics is too tumultuous.

When she voted for Labour, Lindsey says "it was very much with a hope that it would be a change from what we had".

"My little one there is coming up to 13 and I really worry about what is going to be the future for him."

Kasey is a mum with two jobs, and says she does not feel like the country is working for her.

She is quick to tell us she wants Starmer to go. “The world is going to pot and we need someone better,” she says.

But she adds if there is a change of leadership, she will stick with Labour.

Charlotte and Jack are having a chippy with their little boy. Charlotte wants Starmer gone, explaining that although she knows that the PM has introduced good policies for families, she has lost faith in him and the government.

“I don’t think he is the right person for the job,” she says.

Meanwhile, Jack says he’d give Starmer a second chance if he presented a plan. “You see taxes rise - the personal allowance is frozen - you vote a Labour government in thinking it’s representing the working man.”

Chris Mason
Political editor

Labour MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, who was the first minister to resign today, tells the BBC the prime minister has “lost the trust and confidence” of voters, and should set out a timetable for an “orderly transition” to a new leader.

She says it had been a “hard” decision to resign, but that it was the “right thing to do".

The former housing minister tells me “we came into government promising change, people expect that change…they want us to step up and that does require us to have a much bigger vision than we’ve had".

"It requires pace and ambition, and I think we’ve made too many mistakes, been too faltering, and we need to step up.”

She says “it’s within his gift to set a timetable that means we do this right," insisting that the Labour Party “won’t cycle through leaders - we’ll do it once if we do it".

Fahnbulleh adds that “no one wants us to rush," and that the PM “needs to steer us through the summer” and “then set in train a proper process".

Asked if her suggested time frame means Andy Burnham would then be able to stand, she said her priority was for any change to be done orderly while Labour continued to govern the country.

“If we have a contest, and it’s still a big if, of course Andy Burnham should be part of this, we need all of our talents setting out their stall," she says.

She adds that Starmer has “always acted in the public interest" and she hopes he does that now.

Streeting not expected to speak after meeting PM to not distract from King's Speechpublished at 18:53 BST 12 May

18:53 BST 12 May

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Health Secretary Wes Streeting will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Number 10 tomorrow to discuss the current turbulence in government.

Streeting is widely considered to be keen to succeed Starmer, and a number of the health secretary's supporters are among the ministers and parliamentary private secretaries who have resigned this week.

Starmer told his colleagues at cabinet this morning that he would be happy to meet them individually, and it's understood that Streeting requested a meeting.

Allies of the health secretary say he won’t be saying anything after tomorrow's encounter because he does not want to distract from the King’s Speech.

Yet the instability surrounding the prime minister's position is sure to overshadow the state opening of parliament, whether Streeting talks to the media or not.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Health Secretary Wes Streeting will meet the prime minister tomorrow morning.

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

110 Labour MPs have signed a statement opposing a leadership contest.

The statement reads: "Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

"That job needs to start today - with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs. We must focus on that.

"This is no time for a leadership contest."

We can now bring you more from Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy's comments to the BBC outside Downing Street.

Lammy says the PM "has my full support," adding that "no one seems to have the names to stand up" against him.

"No-one has come forward to put themselves forward in the processes that exist in the party," Lammy says.

He adds that those suggesting Starmer stand down as prime minister should "say which candidate would do better".

David Lammy has said Keir Starmer has his "full support" and urges Labour colleagues to step back and "take a breath".

Speaking outside No 10, the deputy prime minister says: "We must put country before party."

Lammy adds that the only person who benefits from the Labour Party "navel-gazing" is Nigel Farage, and asks colleagues not to benefit the Reform leader or his party.

Kris Bramwell
BBC News

You've been sending us your thoughts on the prime minister's position - here's a selection:

Starmer should resign. He comes across as just another career politician who says whatever is needed to stay in power. More and more people are starting to see that he seems more interested in controlling and reshaping the Labour Party than actually standing for clear principles or delivering real change for ordinary voters.

Dean in Manchester

Stability at this time must overcome personal ambition. Shame on those MPs who cannot or will not see the damage they are doing to the country and party. Get behind the PM and show some leadership.

Pamela in Exeter

Starmer has not been concentrating on the important issues recently. I feel it important that we have a stable and reliable leader. Hopefully, a decision to that effect will be made soon. I am concerned that a new leader could well be more to the left. I am hoping that the country can survive until the next General Election when a more stable government with better economic policies can rule.

Chris in Bedfordshire

I think everyone needs to get behind Keir Starmer. He's only two years into the job. We all knew it would be tough for him. And he won't win many friends trying to put things right. All the MPs need to stop carping at him and try and understand....to change now would only let Reform into other seats.

Gary in Harrogate