Labour MP Catherine West says she will not launch a leadership bid and instead seeks a timetable for Keir Starmer’s resignation and a September leadership election.
The political pressure inside Labour is shifting toward a managed exit and a September contest, after MP Catherine West moved away from a personal leadership bid.
In the hours after Keir Starmer delivered his Monday-morning speech outlining what she described as a reset following a punishing round of local election results. West said she would canvass MPs for support for a timetable tied to Starmer’s resignation and the election of a new leader in September.. She framed her move as a way to keep the process orderly while testing appetite among Labour’s parliamentary party.
West told interviewers she does not have a particular successor in mind. adding that her goal is not to anoint a replacement.. Instead. she described her task as getting the momentum going and gauging “the temperature” of the PLP. arguing that the party now needs clarity on how it moves through an orderly transition.
While she had earlier suggested she could challenge the Prime Minister if a cabinet minister did not come forward. West ultimately said she was choosing a different route this time.. Her preference. she said. is for a reshuffle confined within the cabinet. coupled with Starmer taking on a different role that could be suited to his strengths. potentially including an international position.
West was also reported to have been holding off on a final decision until after Starmer’s speech. which she understood as part of the effort to reframe the party’s direction after local elections produced what she called devastating results.. In her account. the speech’s promise was not enough to shift her view of where Labour needs to go next.
In a message to MPs sent after the speech concluded and seen in the run-up to the afternoon canvassing, West said she was giving notice to No 10 that she was collecting names of Labour MPs to call on the Prime Minister to set a timetable for a new leader election in September.
West said she welcomed “the renewed energy and ideas” in Starmer’s remarks but described the response as too limited and too late.. She pointed to last Thursday’s results as evidence that the Prime Minister has not managed to inspire hope. and she argued that an orderly transition is best for both the party and the country.
On the mechanics of the push, West said there would be no rigid deadline for MPs to respond.. Although she had initially wanted a response by 10am on Tuesday. she said she was concerned that a strict cut-off could come across as pushy for MPs who might be uneasy. and she also wanted to give members time to consult their Constituency Labour Parties.
West’s language also underscored her view that Labour is operating in a different political era than it was in 2024.. She suggested that Reform’s current profile has changed voter attention and that Labour must adjust accordingly. warning that if the party fails to adapt. it risks becoming out of step in a more confrontational political environment.
She said no one in the party “dislikes” Starmer, even as she argued for a change in direction.. Her central message. delivered alongside her decision to keep the leadership field open. was that Labour needs a different approach to reconnect with voters—one she believes the current moment requires. especially if supporters believe the party is no longer being heard.
Catherine West Labour leadership election Keir Starmer resignation September leadership contest No 10 timetable Labour PLP