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Catherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September

The Guardian · May 11, 2026, 11:23 AM · Also reported by 3 other sources

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Backbencher says Keir Starmer’s speech was ‘too little, too late’ but stops short of standing herself Who are the main threats to Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership?Catherine West, the Labour MP who announced a challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership, has changed course and said she instead wants the prime minister to set a timetable of September for his departure.West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister, announced on Saturday that she would seek the gather the 81 Labour MPs’ names needed to formally challenge Starmer, while arguing that this was just a device to tempt others to stand, and that she did not wish to take over. Continue reading...

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Catherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September

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