‘Anas Sarwar’s assault is a physique blow to Starmer – what occurs subsequent will probably be vital’
Anas Sarwar’s decision to call for Keir Starmer to go triggered a swift response from Cabinet ministers who rallied round the under-fire PM – but he’s not out of danger
Anas Sarwar, left, went over the top to call for Keir Starmer to go(Image: Getty Images)
Anas Sarwar’s decision to call for Keir Starmer to quit is a huge moment.
Until now, the voices calling for the Prime Minister to go have been left-wing backbenchers, most of whom have long been critics of his politics and his leadership. But Sarwar is popular and influential in the Labour party, and the most senior figure by far to call time on Mr Starmer’s premiership.
The Scottish Labour leader’s verdict was devastating. Too many mistakes have been made, and the leadership in Downing Street has become a “huge distraction”, he told a hastily arranged press conference.
Sarwar said it caused him “personal hurt and pain” to call for his “friend” Starmer to go. But he said his first loyalty had to be Scotland as he twisted the knife.
READ MORE: Bombshell blow for Starmer as top Labour figure calls for him to QUITREAD MORE: No10 rocked as ANOTHER Keir Starmer aide quits 24 hours after Morgan McSweeney
Sarwar went over the top because Scottish Labour is sinking in the polls ahead of the Holyrood elections in May, and he clearly felt he needed to cut the Westminster Government loose.
But reports that Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan would also call for Starmer to quit today were rubbished by sources close to her, taking some of the momentum out of his calls.
A senior Labour source messaged me afterwards. saying: “Currently looks like Anas has gone over the top by himself.”
The ominous silence from the Cabinet today was finally broken after his press conference, and top ministers took to Twitter and hit the airwaves to throw their weight behind the PM. Rachel Reeves, deputy PM David Lammy, Ed Miliband, and Steve Reed were among those rallying around Mr Starmer.
But Sarwar’s words remain a body blow to a weakened Starmer, who lost his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and his director of communications Tim Allan in the space of 24 hours.
Tonight he will deliver a make-or-break speech to Labour MPs in a private meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Many of his MPs are furious about the handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal, and for some it is the last straw after a litany of missteps by the Government.
But being angry does not always translate into actually ousting a Prime Minister. Some MPs, while fed up, have no appetite for a leadership contest and don’t believe the public will forgive Labour for chopping and changing leader like the Tories.
One thing that is not in doubt is how febrile the atmosphere in Westminster is today. What happens next will determine whether Starmer can hold onto power.
