The challenge for Sir Keir Starmer’s government is becoming tougher and tougher. The situation is escalating as one cabinet minister has resigned amid growing calls for the Prime Minister to step down.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, a junior minister who joined the government in 2024, announced that she is resigning from her position and urging Starmer to set a timetable for an “orderly transition.”
She announced her departure as Cabinet members convened at No. 10 for a critical meeting. There are four other senior party members who are seeking the Prime Minister’s resignation, as Starmer is facing the biggest crisis of his leadership.
Although Starmer has accepted the outcomes of the local elections and stated that his party would improve, the demand for his resignation continues.
The biggest challenge for Starmer right now is Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, who is planning to launch a leadership challenge on Tuesday, as most of his allies have already resigned from their government positions.
Who Is Miatta Fahnbulleh?
Miatta Fahnbulleh is a junior minister who has just resigned. She became an MP in 2024, and leaving that position so soon was considered a bold move.
She previously led the New Economics Foundation, a left-wing think tank. Later, she was promoted to a ministerial role under Ed Miliband and was appointed to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. She was then moved to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
She is considered a close ally of Miliband, a former Labour leader. Apart from resigning from her position, she also urged the Prime Minister to set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change they promised.
The delay in setting such a timetable could give time to the popular leader Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, to secure a seat and return to Parliament as a Labour MP.
Miatta Fahnbulleh’s Resignation
She shared her resignation on her X account. In her resignation email, she mentioned her achievements.
Miatta Fahnbulleh wrote, “I am proud of the work that I have done in this Government. First as the Minister for Energy Consumers where I secured energy bill discounts for 6 million families and kick started our Warm Homes Plan; and in my current role where I have rolled out our transformational Pride in Place Programme, delivered a generational shift in power through our English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, and led our critical work on tackling the rising tide of hate and division in our communities.”
She also stated that they did not act with the vision, pace, and ambition that was required.
“Mistakes such as the winter fuel payment and cuts to the support provided to disabled people have left too many of my constituents doubting our mission. And the message on the doorstep was clear: you, Prime Minister, have lost the trust and confidence of the public,” she added.
In the final paragraph, she requested a timetable from the Prime Minister for an orderly transition.
“Therefore, I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country,” Fahnbulleh wrote.
