‘You, Prime Minister, have lost the trust’: UK minister resigns, urges Starmer to ‘do the right thing’ and quit

Miatta Fahnbulleh, a minister in UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, has resigned while openly questioning his leadership and calling for an “orderly transition” in the Labour Party.

Fahnbulleh becomes the first minister in Starmer’s administration to step down publicly over concerns about the government’s direction.

Fahnbulleh, who served as minister for devolution, faith and communities, said in a resignation letter shared on social media that the government had failed to deliver the “vision, pace and ambition” promised to voters.

She said that the public no longer believed Starmer could lead the change the country needed. Fahnbulleh urged the prime minister to “set a timetable for an orderly transition” so that a new leadership team could fulfil Labour’s promises to the country.

Who is Miatta Fahnbulleh?

Miatta Fahnbulleh entered Parliament only in 2024, making her resignation from Starmer’s government a significant move for a relatively new Labour MP.

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According to a BBC report, before entering politics, Fahnbulleh led the New Economics Foundation, a left-leaning policy think tank focused on economic and social issues.

After Labour came to power, she was quickly given a ministerial role under Ed Miliband in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero before later moving to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Fahnbulleh is considered a close political ally of Miliband, the former Labour leader, making her resignation politically important within the party.

While criticising Starmer’s leadership, Fahnbulleh did not demand his immediate resignation. Instead, she called on him to “set a timetable for an orderly transition” so that a new leadership team could take forward Labour’s promises.

Meanwhile, she is not the first in the Labour Party demanding Starmer's resignation. According to the report, more than 78 Labour MPs- 20 per cent of the party's 403 MPs- have called on Starmer to quit his post.

Starmer rejects resignation calls

Despite growing pressure over his leadership, Starmer told senior cabinet ministers on Tuesday that he remained focused on governing and dismissed mounting calls for his resignation.

According to an AFP report, Starmer said that the Labour Party has a formal process for challenging a leader and stressed that no such process had been initiated against him.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet,” Starmer told ministers during the meeting, signalling that he does not intend to step down despite increasing criticism within the party.