Electioncast: Could Catherine West Really Bring Down Keir Starmer?
Newscast
BBC
4.3 • 6.6K Ratings
🗓️ 10 May 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, we look at a surpirsise move from Labour MP Catherine West. She’s called for cabinet ministers to challenge Keir Starmer's leadership - threatening to do so herself if they don't.
Laura and Paddy are joined by Henry to discuss she is, why she’s doing it, and how dangerous it could be for the prime minister.
They also look ahead to next week as the prime minister prepares to make a speech tomorrow, and what we could hear at the state opening of UK Parliament by King Charles on Wednesday.
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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn and Chloe Scannapieco. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was James Piper. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:06.0 | Henry, you saw this encounter which Laura staged on television. What happened? |
| 0:10.8 | Yes. Stage anything. |
| 0:12.4 | Well, you did. You invited two people to sit next. Hang on. Henry, what did you see? |
| 0:16.0 | Well, I saw Catherine West not just talking about her own leadership bid, for that is what it is, |
| 0:23.8 | but inviting various members of the cabinet to launch their own, including Bridget |
| 0:30.3 | Phillips and the Education Secretary, who was at that time sitting next to her live on BBC One |
| 0:35.1 | on Sunday with Laura Coonsburg. It was quite surreal, I have to say. So if you have been living under a rock or newscasters are coming to this this weekend. Or on the radio. Or on the radio. Now, I was just going to explain. So Catherine West is a Labour backbencher, former minister, who dramatically late afternoon told our lovely colleague, Ben Wright, on on Radio 4 that if cabinet ministers didn't |
| 0:55.2 | move against Keir Stalmer, she tomorrow will trigger a leadership contest by running herself. |
| 1:01.8 | And she was on TV this morning sitting next to Bridget Philipson with her direct message. |
| 1:06.0 | And it was a bit ox. |
| 1:08.4 | There's nothing stopping Bridget from standing. |
| 1:10.6 | Why are all the men better than the |
| 1:12.5 | women? We do need some senior women to step forward and to challenge for what is going to be |
| 1:18.3 | really difficult two and a half years between now and the general election and also to take us |
| 1:23.3 | into that second term. She's really laying down the gauntlet. Bridget Phillips and what do you say to her? |
| 1:28.7 | I love you dearly, Catherine, but I just disagree on this one. |
| 1:31.4 | I mean, we're going to have to get to grips in this edition with the absolute ripple, |
| 1:36.7 | no, absolute bombshell that's been, her intervention. But also who and her she is is a relevant |
| 1:42.0 | question on Sunday's newscast. Newscast from the BBC. Humanity's next great voyage begins. We are in the midst of a rupture. Nostalgia will not bring back the old order. Six-seven. Yeah. It's supposed to be me as a doctor. Daddy has also a special connotation. Ooh-l-la-law. Thinking about it like a pantor helped. Do we play music now, or what do we do? Hello, it's Paddy in the studio. And it's Thor in the studio. And it's Henry at home. And let's hope this isn't as awkward as the encounter between Budget Philipson and Catherine West, who apparently are friends and they like each other very much. So Catherine West, Henry, tell us about her. |
| 2:19.7 | She is an MP for a constituency in North London, which, and I think this is relevant information, |
| 2:26.9 | saw the local council harringay have Labour lose lots and lots and lots of councillors to the Greens |
... |
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