Starmer appoints Brown as special envoy on global finance
Gordon Brown has been appointed as a special envoy on global finance.
Number 10 said:
The PM has committed to boosting the country’s security and resilience’
In this role, Gordon Brown will advise on how global finance cooperation can help to achieve this.
Key events
Speaking of Scottish independence, Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said that, actually, the SNP does not have the mandate to hold a second referendum.
His reasoning was that the SNP did not gain a majority at Holyrood.
PA has reported more on his comments from Edinburgh this morning:
(John Swinney) said if the SNP got a majority that would give him a mandate.
They didn’t, they went backwards in vote share numbers of MSPs elected to the SNP.
So, they’ve actually got no mandate for doing that and I really hope they won’t allow Scottish politics to be distracted by that.
Yet again, there’s so many serious issues. People are really struggling and can’t get GP appointments, they can’t afford the food on the table, they can’t afford their energy bills.
Surely a responsible government will ensure this new parliament focuses on things like matter to families and pensioners and businesses across Scotland.
In Scotland, Green co-leader Ross Greer said his party and the SNP have a joint “mandate to deliver” a second vote on independence.
The Scottish parliament has its highest ever number of MSPs who support independence, with 73 MSPs from the SNP and Scottish Greens
“Independence is urgently needed,” Greer told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast, adding that his party “went into this election committed to achieving Scottish independence, and full membership of the European Union”.
He added: “I want the next prime minister – because let’s be honest, it is not going to be Keir Starmer for very long – the next prime minister needs to respect the people of Scotland have made this choice.
“We are a democratic country, people should be able to get what they want at an election. A majority of the parliament are from pro-independence parties and there is an urgent need for this.”
A flurry of news on the elections this morning, let’s head to Wales for a moment.
The Wales Green party leader, Anthony Slaughter, said he is “open to having conversations” with Plaid Cymru over the next Welsh government.
Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the new Senedd but fell short of attaining a majority.
“We welcome the defeat of Reform and congratulate Plaid Cymru on their result – this is a victory for everyone who wanted to keep Reform’s divisive, Trumpian politics out of Wales,” Slaughter said in a statement.
“We are a welcoming nation – and Wales needs to stay a place where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and can thrive.
“When it comes to the next government of Wales, we are open to having conversations, but no decisions have been made at this point.
“In any negotiations we will be looking to deliver on the Green objectives that people voted on in this election – including action to address the cost-of-living crisis, protecting our NHS, fixing the renting crisis and restoring our natural environment.”
To find out what happened in your area in Thursday’s elections, head to our results tracker here:
On Harriet Harman’s appointment as adviser on women and girls, Starmer said:
Harriet is a strong advocate for women and girls and I know she will deliver greater opportunity for women in public life.
I’m committed to tackling structural misogyny that is a barrier for too many women and girls. I look forward to working with Harriet to drive forward action on this important issue.
Starmer: Brown will ‘build a stronger Britain’
Keir Starmer has issued a brief statement on social media about Gordon Brown’s return to government.
He said: “Today I’m pleased to appoint Gordon Brown as my special envoy on global finance and cooperation.
“As Britain’s longest-serving chancellor, Gordon is well placed to work with our international allies to build a stronger Britain and boost our country’s security and resilience.”
Another Labour MP has joined calls for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.
Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership” before next year’s local elections.
He said the party was “hamstrung” by Starmer’s association with Labour’s mistakes in office including winter fuel cuts, benefits reform, the prime minister’s comments on Gaza and appointment of Peter Mandelson.
Writing on X, Vaughn said:
We have to get on with the job we were elected to do. But we are hamstrung if we continue to be led by the personification of earlier – serious – mistakes. We must give the public a Labour leader with a clear vision, conviction and the ability to inspire if we are to stand any chance of turning things around.
So I strongly believe that there must be an orderly transition of leadership well before the local elections next year. Otherwise, we are conceding defeat to Farage before we have even started.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has mocked Keir Starmer over Gordon Brown’s return to government.
“An unpopular prime minister who lost a general election is now seen by Starmer as being the saviour. Labour are doomed,” he wrote on X.
We have more from Downing Street on Brown’s appointment as special envoy on global finance.
He will be tasked with developing new international finance partnerships that can support defence and security-related investment, including measures that underpin the UK’s relationship with Europe.
As part of the role he will engage with international leaders and finance institutions as well as private finance partners to establish multilateral finance mechanisms.
The former prime minister, who steered the country through the 2008 financial crash and was also the longest serving chancellor of the modern era, has consistently thrown his support behind Starmer through various dramas (most recently the Peter Mandelson saga).
Starmer appoints Brown as special envoy on global finance
Gordon Brown has been appointed as a special envoy on global finance.
Number 10 said:
The PM has committed to boosting the country’s security and resilience’
In this role, Gordon Brown will advise on how global finance cooperation can help to achieve this.
Gordon Brown visits Starmer at No 10
Former prime minister Gordon Brown was seen meeting Keir Starmer at Downing Street.
He was pictured shaking hands with the prime minister outside No 10 this morning.
There are no details on what they discussed, but the visit comes as Starmer attempts to shore up support for his leadership amid calls for him to step down.
Starmer appoints Harriet Harman as adviser on women and girls
Keir Starmer has appointed former deputy leader Harriet Harman as his adviser on women and girls in his first post-election move.
Harman will work with ministers on work to tackle violence against women and girls, improving job prospects and increasing representation in parliament and public life, Downing Street said. She will report directly to the prime minister in the unpaid part-time role.
Earlier, Harman told Sky News that Starmer should continue as prime minister but that he needs to make changes. “More of the same is not acceptable,” she said.
Election results so far
Here are where things stand according to results data from the Press Association:
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After 129 of 136 English councils had declared full results, Labour had lost control of 32 authorities and suffered a net loss of 1,051 seats.
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Reform gained control of 13 councils and added 1,276 seats.
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The Conservatives suffered a net loss of eight councils and 427 councillors.
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The Liberal Democrats won three councils and gained a net 142 seats.
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The Green party gained control of four councils and put on 306 councillors.
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The SNP have 58 Holyrood seats, Labour 17, Reform 17, the Scottish Greens 15, the Conservatives 12 and the Liberal Democrats 10.
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In Wales, Plaid Cymru have 43 seats in the Senedd, with Reform on 34, Labour on nine, the Conservatives on seven, the Greens on two and the Liberal Democrats on one.
The SNP’s Stephen Gethins said Scottish independence should be a priority for the party, saying 73 MSPs out of 129 elected on Thursday supported the move, PA reports.
The SNP won 58 seats while the Scottish Greens, which has long supported independence, won a record 15.
“We’ve got the biggest pro-independence majority that the parliament has ever had, the people have spoken and the weekend after an election is a good time for us all to reflect on that just a little bit,” Gethins said.
Trump congratulates SNP’s Swinney
Donald Trump has congratulated the SNP’s John Swinney, who will return as first minister after a fifth Scottish election victory for the party.
Writing on his Truth Social app, the US president said:
Congratulations to John Swinney on winning his Re-Election for First Minister of Scotland. He is a good man, who worked very hard, along with the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, with respect to Tariff relief for Great Scottish Whiskey — and deserves this Big Electoral Victory!
Lucy Powell: ‘Timetable for leadership change is wrong conclusion’
Peter Walker
Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, said it was time to end “this incessant speculation” about Stamer’s position.
“What I would say to people is, thinking that setting out some kind of timetable would put to bed the issues of leadership, I think is actually the wrong conclusion here,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“All that would do is fire the starting gun of a, quite honestly, very distracting and ongoing debate about leadership.”
She added: “I don’t want to hear about that any more. I wanted to get on with the job of turning this country around and delivering the big change, the big, bold Labour change that people voted for two years ago. The more we talk about leadership, the less we can do that.”
Powell confirmed that she would want Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, to be allowed to stand for parliament, but said this should not then involve Burnham then challenging Starmer.
“We don’t do hospital takeovers in the Labour party. It’s not what we’re about,” she said.
Growing number of Labour MPs join calls for Starmer to quit
A number of Labour MPs have come out demanding Keir Starmer resigns. A few of them aired their views on social media and on the media round this morning, here’s what they had to say:
Connor Naismith, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, hinted in a post on X that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham could take the reigns.
Andy is the most popular Labour politician in the country. The suggestion that he wouldn’t be able to win in some of the seats Labour is currently struggling to win is just wrong.
Ironically, this is precisely why we need him back on the front line of national politics.
Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Starmer has to go “in the not too distant future”.
I think there are three scenarios: one is that Keir carries on until the next election and we lose, and we lose badly.
Secondly, that in the end, Keir decides to stick it out, and there is a move to get rid of him, an internal battle, and then the public don’t like parties that fight amongst themselves, so that could lead to an election defeat.
Or in the end, Keir recognises, for the good of the country and the Government, he has to step down at some point in the not too distant future.
Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, also told BBC Radio 4’s Today that Starmer had a “matter of months” to make a decision about his future.
“I hope, as he has said, that he will always put the country first and we have to recognise the dangers that we are in now.
“But on this trajectory it doesn’t look good, not just for locals – I lost some really dear colleagues who worked so hard for their constituency – but it means the prospect of us not just losing an election, but who we would lose to and that makes me really fearful.”
Keir Starmer under pressure to agree exit plan after election mauling
Pippa Crerar
Keir Starmer is under pressure to set out a timeline for his departure after a crushing defeat in elections across Britain prompted senior Labour MPs to call for him to step down within a year.
In a disastrous set of results, Labour had lost control of more than 25 councils and more than 1,000 council seats in England by Friday night, many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made large gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the south.
After more than a century of domination, Labour has faced near-wipeout in Wales, where the party’s first minister, Eluned Morgan, lost her seat. Labour could slump to third place in Scotland behind the SNP and Reform. In London, a Green surge meant Labour lost control of councils it had dominated, including Hackney and Waltham Forest.
While the prime minister appeared to have avoided an immediate coup, there was a furious response to the results among senior MPs and the unions, with some warning him to change course or risk electoral oblivion. By Friday evening, 10 more MPs had called for him to set out a timetable for departure from No 10.
Read more here:
Starmer under pressure as Labour MPs demand he stands down
In the wake of the local election results, Keir Starmer faced calls to stand down after voters handed a damning verdict on the Labour party.
Starmer took responsibility for defeat after Labour lost hundreds of councillors in England and suffered humiliation in Wales, but he made clear that he would not quit, saying “tough days like this don’t weaken my resolve”.
Some Labour MPs have come out demanding his resignation, but members of Starmer’s cabinet have rallied around the prime minister.
Health secretary Wes Streeting, who is widely seen as a likely candidate in a potential leadership race despite publicly denying such ambitions, said Starmer had his “support”.
“I’ll continue putting my shoulder to the wheel as the health and social care secretary, who’s getting the NHS back on its feet and making sure it’s fit for the future,” he said.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged “a devastating night” for Labour but said the prime minister “has rightly said we must do better”.
But several backbench MPs have called on Starmer to set out a timetable to resign. Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, said Starmer has to go “in the not too distant future”, while Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, said it’s “do or die for the Labour leadership”.
Labour suffered a historic loss in Wales, where the party’s 27 years in power has come to an end with Plaid Cymru winning the largest number of seats, though still short of a majority. In Scotland, the SNP is emerging as the victor.
The Conservative party also lost ground, but there has been no leadership speculation around Kemi Badenoch.
Arguably the biggest winner on Thursday was Reform UK, having gained more than 1,200 seats and control of 12 councils in England, according to the Press Association’s tally of the results. Reform leader Nigel Farage declared he had ushered in “a truly historic shift in British politics”.
The Liberal Democrats and Green party also made gains at the expense of Labour, with Greens leader Zack Polanski announcing the era of two-party politics “is not just dying, it is dead and it is buried”.
