Keir Starmer Calls for Snap Election as He Accuses BoJo of ‘Squatting in Downing Street’

UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has repeated demands for an early general election in the country to topple what he described as the “zombie” Tory government.

In an article published by The Sunday Times, Starmer claimed that Britain “needs a fresh start” and that “a fourth new Tory Prime Minister in six years isn’t going to achieve that”.

The Labour leader insisted that time is ripe for “proper change”, referring to “twelve years of high taxes, low growth and broken promises” by the government led by a Prime Minister who is “squatting in Downing Street.”

“Every one of the main candidates to replace him [Boris Johnson] has spent the last year touring the TV studios parroting his lies and propping up his reign. They can’t now attempt to wash their hands of him,” Starmer argued, pledging that Labour is “ready to re-energize Britain.”

The 59-year-old warned that “changing the person at the top of the Tories” would not “clean out the rotten culture from throughout” the Conservative Party.

“Only by booting out the lot of them will Britain get the fresh start it needs. That’s why we need a general election now. My message to the Tories is simple: bring it on,” Starmer concluded.

The remarks followed the Labour leader telling reporters on Friday that an early general election in the UK is needed, purportedly in order to put an end to the chaos caused by Johnson’s government.

“My challenge to the Tories is not 'who's your next leader gonna be', but 'give us the change we really need, let's have a general election, let's have a change of government, a fresh start for our country’. […]If there's a general election, this government will fall […],” Starmer insisted.

The Labour leader spoke after he and his deputy Angela Rayner were cleared by police following the so-called “Beergate” scandal. Starmer was earlier accused of breaching COVID rules after a video emerged featuring him and fellow Labour MPs enjoying some beer during the 2021 lockdown at the office of Durham MP Mary Foy.

The 59-year-old vowed to resign should he be found guilty of breaching coronavirus rules and issued a fixed penalty notice. He argued that the gathering was not a violation of the lockdown rules because he and his colleagues had been working, and were only taking a break to eat some food before returning to their duties.

Boris Johnson Quits as Conservative Party Leader & Prime Minister

7 July 2022, 11:31 GMT

On Thursday, Prime Minister Johnson announced his resignation, in a move that came after a spate of scandals, among them the “Partygate” row related to COVID lockdown-busting social gatherings between 2020 and 2021, as well as the Pincher scandal.

Christopher Pincher stepped down as Tory deputy chief whip last week after being accused of sexual misconduct in one of London's members-only private clubs. A number of politicians claimed that Johnson appointed Pincher to the post despite knowing about sexual misconduct allegations. The scandal has led to a string of resignations, with scores of officials stepping down from Johnson's government, including such key figures as Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.