A veteran Labour MP has suggested Keir Starmer should resign as prime minister in a thinly veiled social media post.
Jon Trickett, the Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, issued the comment in the wake of the Canadian general election, as he sought to draw parallels between the political landscape that led to Justin Trudeau’s resignation as PM and the Labour Party’s current position.
Trickett, a former frontbencher who was first elected to parliament in 1996, said the circumstances that led to the Canadian Liberal Party’s comeback “make you think.”
In January, Trudeau resigned as Canada’s prime minister, preparing the way for a leadership contest and the elevation of Mark Carney.
With an election looming, Trudeau’s personal unpopularity had become an increasing drag on his party’s fortunes. At the time, the Canadian Conservatives maintained a two-digit lead over the Liberals in polls — a picture which radically reversed upon Trudeau’s resignation and the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president.
Trickett also criticised the government’s handling of Trump, suggesting ministers should refuse to “bend the knee” to the US president.
Mark Carney’s successful general election campaign was centred around its opposition to the US president, in the wake of unique and unprecedented threats to Canada’s sovereignty.
In a post to X (formerly Twitter), Trickett wrote: “In Canada: The governing party changed its unpopular leader! Refused to bend the knee to Trump! Rallied the country behind a call for [economic] change. Came from 20 points behind to win the election!!”
“Makes you think!!!”
Trickett has been a notable rebel since Labour and Starmer entered government following the 2024 general election. In September last year, he was the only Labour MP who voted for an opposition motion condemning the government’s plan to means test the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
Trickett, who supported the introduction of the payment as a Labour MP in 1997, argued the reform would be “extremely difficult for my constituents of all ages”.
As a member of the Socialist Campaign Group in parliament, Trickett is considered to be on the left of the Labour Party.
Politico’s Poll of Polls metric suggests Nigel Farage’s Reform party is ahead in UK polling, with a two-point margin-of-error lead over the Labour Party. Reform UK is said to feature on 25 per cent, with Labour and the Conservatives on 23 and 21 per cent respectively.
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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