r/BreakingUKNews

A third minister has resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government as the Prime Minister fights for his political future.

Alex Davies-Jones, Jess Phillips and Miatta Fahnbulleh all announced they were quitting on Tuesday as Sir Keir tried to quell a mounting Labour backlash against his leadership.

Ms Davies-Jones, the victims’ minister and MP for Pontypridd, demanded that the Prime Minister resign following last week’s local elections bloodbath in which Labour lost control of Wales for the first time in a century.

Less than an hour earlier, Ms Phillips resigned as safeguarding minister over Sir Keir’s leadership. She told the Prime Minister that he was “a good man fundamentally” but accused him of inaction on violence against women and girls.

Ms Fahnbulleh, the communities minister and an ally of Angela Rayner, had also announced that she was stepping down. She later called on Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, to replace Sir Keir.

The Prime Minister dared rebels to oust him this morning, telling his Cabinet that the “process for challenging a leader has not been triggered”.

Six ministers – Shabana Mahmood, John Healey, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy, Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting – had been expected to demand Sir Keir’s resignation during the meeting.

However, the Prime Minister did not give them a chance to speak against him and instead set out his case on why he should remain in office.