Melanie Ward, aide to David Lammy, has resigned from her post as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer over his future.
Ms Ward, parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the deputy prime minister, was the fourth government aide to resign on Monday as scores of Labour MPs called for Sir Keir to stand down.
Joe Morris, PPS to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urged the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure as they quit.
Cabinet Office PPS Naushabah Khan also resigned, calling for new leadership at the head of the party.
Sally Jameson, a PPS to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, has also joined the growing calls for Sir Keir to step aside from discontented MPs, who numbered 63 by Monday evening.
Ms Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, said in a statement on X that the election result in Scotland was “extremely disappointing” and that she was resigning as parliamentary private secretary to the deputy prime minister.
Melanie Ward statement in full
“The election result in Scotland last week was extremely disappointing, especially given the terrible record of the SNP,” Ms Ward said.
“So many or my constituents told me that they could not vote Labour as long as Keir Starmer remains Prime Minister. Their anger at early errors like changes to the winter fuel payment remains palpable. Mistakes on moral issues like Gaza have also not been forgotten by the wider public.
“Keir Starmer did important work to change the Labour Party, and governing in a time like this will never be easy. But the message from last week’s elections was clear; the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of the public.
“Our country faces enormous challenges and we need a Labour government that can deliver the scale of change that this requires. It is clear that the Prime Minister no longer has the trust or confidence of the public to lead this change.
“It is for this reason that I am today resigning as a PPS and calling for Keir Starmer to resign as Leader of the Labour Party and set out a rapid process for the election of a new Leader and Prime Minister.”
