Keir Starmer has insisted he will not step down as Prime Minister and wants to be Prime Minister for 10 years.
The Prime Minister’s defiance comes amid growing pressure from within his own party following Thursday’s catastrophic local elections results.
Sir Keir told the Observer: “I’m not going to walk away from the job I was elected to do in July 2024. I’m not going to plunge the country into chaos.”
He confirmed he intends to lead Labour into the next general election and serve a complete second term.
The Labour leader has also pledged to put closer ties with the EU at the heart of his premiership, although he has continued to rule out rejoining the bloc, the customs union or the single market.
He added that Brexit “held back our young people” and that Britain was close to a youth mobility agreement with Brussels.
The PM said: “They should be free to work, study, travel in European countries, just as I was able to when I was growing up.
“That has been snatched away from young people because of Brexit. I’m not going to let Brexit stand in the way of their opportunities.”
Keir Starmer said he intends to lead Labour into the 2029 general election and serve a full second term if elected
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Sir Keir faces a challenge from within his own ranks however, with former foreign office minister Catherine West threatening to seek support from colleagues to force a leadership contest unless the Cabinet moves to oust the PM by Monday.
Party rules require backing from 81 MPs — representing 20 per cent of the parliamentary party — to trigger a challenge against the leader.
Currently, approximately 30 Labour parliamentarians have publicly expressed opposition to Sir Keir’s continued leadership, leaving West well short of the threshold needed.
When asked by the BBC whether she could secure sufficient numbers, Ms West responded: “We will find out.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson expressed confidence that the government could recover
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She indicated she would await the Prime Minister’s Monday speech before reaching a final decision on launching her bid.
Despite Thursday’s devastating results, the Cabinet has maintained its support for the Prime Minister.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson expressed confidence that the government could recover.
She told GB News: “We had a really devastating set of election results. We got a real kicking, and there’s no hiding from that.
“The Prime Minister is upfront about that. He takes responsibility for those results, as do we all. This is not just about one individual.
“This is about our failure to tell the story of the change we’re bringing, the change people voted for in 2024. There is a big job of work ahead of us.”