(Adnkronos) – A second minister of the Starmer government has resigned. This is Jess Phillips, Minister for Child Protection, as pressure grows from an increasing number of Labour MPs on the prime minister to step aside. In a letter to Starmer, reported by Sky News, Phillips wrote that she “cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership,” adding that she “does not see the change I need.” The Minister for Child Protection wrote: “I believe you are fundamentally a good person, who cares about the right things, however I have seen firsthand how this is not enough. The desire to avoid a discussion means that we rarely engage in it, blocking and delaying opportunities for progress.”
Phillips added that “every Labour government that has succeeded during my life and that of my family has brought about progress that has changed our country and the world for the better. I know you care deeply, but it’s facts, not words, that matter.” But “I’m not sure we are seizing this rare opportunity with the necessary enthusiasm and I cannot continue to wait for a crisis to accelerate progress.”
Phillips emphasized that “grit and determination are important. You need to discuss, oppose, argue, involve people. Taking a stand and making your voice heard is not always something you can learn in a course.” In conclusion, “I want a Labour government to work and I will commit myself, as I always have, to its success and popularity, but I do not see the changes that I, and the country, expect, and therefore I cannot continue to hold the office of minister under the current leadership.”
