Labour MP Sarah Smith calls for PM Keir Starmer to resign

Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, voiced her concerns following Labour’s loss of its majority on Hyndburn Council.

Ms Smith said: "Last week, Labour lost its majority on Hyndburn Council, having already lost most of the county council seats in the constituency the previous year.

"At the time, I said the result required a rethink and a bold response.

"Sadly, over the past 12 months, I do not think our response has matched the scale of the challenge we face."

She argued that the party has struggled to convince voters of its vision and approach, identifying slow progress on key areas including "industrial strategy" and online safety.

Ms Smith also highlighted public dissatisfaction with the Government’s handling of migration.

In a statement she said: "The truth is, people are still not convinced that we are on their side.

"We have been too slow in too many areas, whether on industrial strategy, protecting our children online, or tackling big tech and its growing influence over our democracy.

"The public has also clearly demonstrated a deep frustration that the system is not managing migration into the country fairly or with sufficient control."

Ms Smith said the party is in "the fight of [their lives] and said "the scale of the threat posed by populist politics cannot be understated."

She said: "People driven entirely by self-interest, who offer two-word slogans and simple answers while earning millions from selling cryptocurrency, are not the solution to the challenges our country faces."

Calling for “calculated and principled risks” in the party’s strategy, she said the Labour Party needed to deliver economic stability, support hard-working people, inspire the next generation, and help communities reclaim pride in their neighbourhoods.

Ms Smith acknowledged Keir Starmer’s achievements in leading Labour to victory in 2024 and listed recent policy successes during his tenure.

She said: "Keir Starmer is a good man who succeeded where others have failed, delivering the Labour Party to a historic victory in 2024, but I have regretfully concluded that he is unable to lead us into future elections.

"I urge the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for an orderly transition by the end of 2026.

"In 2019, the Labour Party suffered its worst-ever defeat and needed to change to govern again. He made that happen.

"I want to thank the Prime Minister for that and his leadership on the international stage, alongside some of the positive things we have delivered under his leadership... the huge losses we suffered last week sent a clear message that it is time for new leadership to take us forward."

Hyndburn went through change at this year’s local elections, with both main parties struggling to hold onto any seat and Labour losing control of the borough council.

Across every one of the 11 wards where thousands of voters went to the polls on Thursday, the resounding response from the electorate was that they wanted change, with five Conservative and three Labour councillors losing their seats – almost entirely to Reform UK.

Labour with 17 councillors, down three, will now need the support of either sitting Green Cllr Shabir Fazal (who was not up for election) or new Independent Sohail Asghar (currently suspended from the Green Party) who won Spring Hill ward from Labour's former MP Graham Jones by just 23 votes to keep control of Hyndburn borough.

The surge in support for Reform could be seen in almost every seat, with their mostly first-time candidates sweeping aside four incumbents. The exception being former Labour council leader Miles Parkinson, who has been returned to Accrington Town Hall under the light blue banner of Nigel Farage’s insurgent party.