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Mar 31, 2026
Starmer’s Labour Suspends Critic as Premier Girds for Challenge
Keir Starmer
Photographer: Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg
By Alex Wickham
March 31, 2026 at 6:23 AM PDT
Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party suspended an ardent critic in a sign the UK prime minister is preparing to face down his internal rivals ahead of a possible leadership challenge.
Karl Turner, a 54 year-old Labour Member of Parliament who’s represented the Kingston upon Hull East district of northeastern England since 2010, was informed by government chief whip Jonathan Reynolds that he was having the Labour whip suspended on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Turner himself posted on X that he hadn’t been informed.
The decision was taken in light of Turner’s recent conduct, the person said, without specifying any particular behavior. It would be reviewed at a later date, they said.
Turner has been one of Starmer’s most vocal Labour critics in recent weeks, campaigning in particular against a government plan to restrict jury trials. He told HuffPost UK this month that Starmer “undoubtedly” faced a leadership challenge if — as polls suggest — the party performs poorly in May’s local elections.
And just last week, Turner suggested Starmer’s former top aide, Morgan McSweeney, had faked the theft of his mobile phone in an attempt to avoid scrutiny over his conduct during a recent scandal over former UK ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson’s links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Removing the whip from Turner could suggest Starmer is preparing to take on his rivals by cracking down on internal critics. For months, speculation has swirled around Westminster that the premier could face an attempt to oust him after the local elections, when polls suggest the party will hemorrhage seats as well as losing control of the Welsh Parliament for the first time.
The move may, however, attract further criticism from sections of the Labour Party, which opposed previous suspensions of Labour MPs over the government’s plans on child benefits.
Editor: After his incarseration of dissenting British citizens, without the prospect bail or of a Jury Trial! What are Keir Starmer’spolitical chances?
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