Miatta Fahnbulleh, the Sierra Leonean-born UK Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government following Labour’s poor performance in last week’s local elections, urging the Prime Minister to “do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition.”

Fahnbulleh, who represents Peckham and was elected in the 2024 general election, is among more than 70 Labour MPs who have called on Starmer to resign immediately or draw up a timetable for his departure.

In her resignation letter, Fahnbulleh argued that Labour has not governed with the “vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us,” and criticised the Prime Minister for decisions that have eroded public trust.

“Mistakes such as the winter fuel payment and cuts to the support provided to disabled people have left too many of my constituents doubting our mission,” she wrote. “And the message on the doorstep was clear: you, Prime Minister, have lost the trust and confidence of the public.”

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She added: “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires. The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.”

Despite her criticism of Starmer’s leadership, Fahnbulleh expressed pride in her contributions to government, including securing energy bill discounts for six million families and delivering the Pride in Place Programme. However, she said it had become clear that a change in leadership was needed.

Fahnbulleh, an economist of Sierra Leonean origin, was born in Liberia to a Sierra Leonean mother and Liberian father. Her family fled the First Liberian Civil War in 1986 and sought asylum in the United Kingdom. She has often spoken of finding refuge in the Sierra Leonean community in Peckham, the same constituency she now represents.

“It was in the Sierra Leonean community here in Peckham where my family found refuge when we fled from West Africa when I was a child,” she said on her campaign website ahead of her 2024 election victory. “It was this community that taught me the values of compassion and solidarity that have shaped my politics.”

Before entering parliament, Fahnbulleh served as Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation until December 2023. She previously held senior roles as Director of Policy and Research at the Institute for Public Policy Research and worked at senior levels for the Leader of the Opposition, the Cabinet Office, and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.

Her resignation follows a disappointing set of election results for Labour in contests across England, Scotland, and Wales last week.

Speaking in central London on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the scale of the setback and took responsibility for the party’s performance.

“I get it, I feel it, and I take responsibility,” Starmer said. “But it’s not just about taking responsibility for the results. It’s about taking responsibility to explain how, as a political and electoral force, we will be better and do better in the months and years ahead.”

He admitted there are “doubters” he now needs to prove wrong, stressing that the stakes for the country are high. “This hurts, not just because Labour has done badly, but because if we don’t get this right, our country will go down a very dark path.”

The Prime Minister outlined plans for “sweeping changes” to address the UK’s challenges, including announcing an “ambitious youth experience scheme” involving the European Union that would enable young people to work, study, and live in Europe.

With mounting pressure from within his own party, Starmer faces the dual challenge of delivering on Labour’s promises while restoring public and internal confidence in his leadership.

Fahnbulleh concluded her resignation letter by stating that while she was proud to have served in government, the moment required a change at the top. She won her Peckham seat in 2024 with 22,813 votes.