Palace warns No. 10 to 'keep us out' of Starmer drama ahead of King's Speech
The King is due to deliver the speech on Wednesday, setting out the Government’s priorities for the next parliamentary session
Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly been asked by Buckingham Palace whether King Charles should go ahead with the King’s Speech on Wednesday, amid mounting pressure on the Prime Minister to quit.
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The claims emerged after a string of ministerial resignations on Tuesday, as Sir Keir faced fresh demands to step down.
According to Politico, a source familiar with the matter said the Palace’s position was clear: “We do not want to be any part of this conversation — do not bring us into it.”
The King is due to deliver the speech on Wednesday, setting out the Government’s priorities for the next parliamentary session.
Parliament is currently between sessions and must be formally reopened before it can return to state business.
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The centrepiece of that ceremony is the King’s Speech, delivered from the throne in the House of Lords, outlining the Government’s legislative agenda for the months ahead.
Sir Keir remains in Downing Street but is under growing pressure, with more than 80 MPs now said to have called for him to go.
Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones, Miatta Fahnbulleh and Zubir Ahmed are among those to have announced their departures, as Sir Keir braces for a showdown with health secretary Wes Streeting on Wednesday morning.
Despite the unrest, more than 100 Labour MPs have reportedly signed a statement opposing a leadership contest.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister rejected calls to leave No 10, telling Cabinet that the country “expects us to get on with governing” and insisting: “That is what I am doing.”
He avoided a direct confrontation over his future during the meeting and did not meet critics one-to-one afterwards.
Sir Keir later re-emerged in public on Tuesday afternoon, appearing with apprentices at a college in south London alongside work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden.