UPDATE 1-UK's Starmer vows to prove doubters wrong and stay in power

Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to quell a mounting ‌rebellion in his party on Monday by saying he would prove the doubters wrong and stay in power to avoid plunging Britain into a new political crisis. A growing number of Labour ‌lawmakers have turned on Starmer after his party suffered the worst local election results ‌for a governing party in more than three decades last week, prompting a former junior minister to threaten to seek a leadership contest if he fails to offer radical change.

Starmer sought to show he had ⁠got the ​message, saying in ⁠an impassioned speech that "incremental change won't cut it" in a country that has suffered two decades of economic ⁠stagnation and mounting social tensions. "I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain. Frustrated by politics, ​and some people frustrated with me," he said in a speech in London. "I ⁠know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong. And I will."

Starmer won ⁠one ​of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history in 2024 with promises to expand the economy, lower illegal immigration, and cut waiting lists in the state-run health ⁠service. However, progress has been hampered by policy U-turns, perceptions among some in his party that he ⁠is unwilling to ⁠take difficult decisions, and a series of political scandals, contributing to some of the lowest approval ratings of any British prime minister.

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