THE head of a Labour-affiliated union has reiterated her call for Sir Keir Starmer to resign following the prime minister’s speech in central London today.

Sir Keir vowed to prove his “doubters” wrong as he fought back against calls to quit, acknowledging responsibility for results that saw Labour lose almost 1,500 English councillors, go backwards in Scotland and slump to third in Wales.

But TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “No amount of spin or resets can hide the truth: the public rejected Starmer at the ballot box on Thursday. 

“The trade unions cannot allow the ship to sink with its failed captain. 

“Keir Starmer must resign now, and a leadership contest must begin immediately with the widest possible field of candidates.”

A succession of MPs have called for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure, while former minister Catherine West has indicated she would launch a leadership bid.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the PM had shown that “he still doesn’t understand why voters overwhelmingly rejected Labour,” saying: “People want real change and are fed up to the back teeth with a status quo that has failed the vast majority.”