Labour MP Catherine West threatens to trigger leadership contest against Starmer by Monday

Labour MP Catherine West said a cabinet minister must challenge Sir Keir Starmer as party leader by Monday, or she will try to trigger a leadership contest herself.

In an interview with the BBC, West said she prefers the cabinet to reorganize itself and put forward its best communicator to replace Starmer, avoiding a full leadership election.

After poor election results for Labour, West put the cabinet on notice. If no leadership hopeful contacts her by Monday, she will ask Labour MPs to back her effort to start a contest.

The former junior Foreign Office minister said she has 10 MPs ready to support her bid. She is confident enough will step forward to trigger a contest.

"My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there's plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role," West, MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet, told Radio 4's PM programme.

"Then for others to come to the fore who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss."

"We've seen over the past 10 years now, what happens when a party in government just starts chopping and changing leaders," she told the programme.

Starmer has said he will not walk away and plunge the country into chaos, following Labour's bad results on Friday.

About 30 Labour MPs have publicly called for a leadership change or a timetable for Starmer to step down since results came in.

The Greens took control of Waltham Forest, Lewisham and Hackney in London, where Labour once dominated. They also won their first mayors in Hackney and Lewisham.

Labour suffered big losses in the Scottish Parliament election. The SNP secured a fifth term, while Labour came second, tied with Reform.

West said several people have planned for months to challenge but surprised her by not speaking up yet. She said Starmer has less grip on domestic issues and the party must fight Reform.

Immigration Minister Mike Tapp criticized her plan. "When those within your own walls begin dismantling the gate, the enemy no longer needs a battering ram."

One Labour MP not known as a Starmer critic told the BBC they were surprised by West's interview but will support her on Monday. "The frustration on the backbenches runs far wider than the voices we've heard from publicly. There are far more moderate centrist Labour MPs who also think his time is up."

Some in government think West's push for the cabinet's best communicator points to Wes Streeting, though allies of the health secretary deny it.

On Friday, Streeting said Starmer has his support but the government must own its mistakes. Asked if he rules out a bid, Streeting said Starmer delivered a majority once seen as impossible after 2019's defeat.

Other potential candidates outside cabinet include former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who quit in September over tax issues on a flat.

Rayner awaits an HMRC probe outcome and may hold off on a bid.

Names like Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman have surfaced, but one loyal minister called it a joke. Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker said she respects them but wishes they had rejected minor roles and pushed Starmer for a timetable.

Starmer plans a speech and new legislation next week to reset his time as prime minister.