Jess Phillips resigns as minister adding pressure on Starmer

"Phillips said opportunities for progress on tackling violence against women and girls had been "stalled and delayed", adding there was "nothing bold" about Sir Keir's approach. Phillips is one of three ministers to quit as Sir Keir faces a revolt among Labour MPs who are urging him to step down after a dire set of elections last week. In a letter, Phillips said she was "not seeing the change" the country expected and could not serve "under the current leadership"."

"In her letter, Phillips said "real change" in her role "usually came from threats made by me in light of catastrophic mistakes". "I think you are a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things however I have seen first-hand how that is not enough," Phillips said. "The desire not to have an argument means we rarely make an argument, leaving opportunities for progress stalled and delayed.""

"Sir Keir told cabinet ministers he would get on with governing and pointed out that a formal leadership challenge had not been triggered. A government source told the BBC that at the meeting Sir Keir told colleagues he would not discuss the election results or his leadership, and would only speak to cabinet ministers about those topics "individually". The BBC understands several cabinet ministers tried to talk to Sir Keir about his leadership after the cabinet meeting but he declined to speak to them."

"In a speech aimed at steadying his tottering premiership on Monday, Sir Keir said "incremental change won't cut it" as he promised to "face up to the big challenges" the country faced. But in her letter, Phillips said "real change" in her role "usually came from threats made by me in light of catastrophic mistakes". She said it had taken her a year to get the prime minister to agree to "threaten" legislation that would end the ability for c"

Jess Phillips resigned as safeguarding minister, telling Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer she was not seeing the change the country expected and could not serve under the current leadership. In her resignation letter, she said progress on tackling violence against women and girls had been stalled and delayed. She criticized Sir Keir’s approach as lacking boldness and said real change in her role usually came only after threats made in response to catastrophic mistakes. She said Starmer is fundamentally a good man but that caring about the right things was not enough. She added that avoiding arguments prevented opportunities for progress, and she described taking a year to secure agreement to threaten legislation to end an ability for perpetrators to cross-examine victims.

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