Labour Party MP Mike Tapp attends the Sky News live televised and cross-platform debate on immigration on September 10, 2025 in Birmingham, England.A minister is facing some backlash after insisting a change in party leader should legally trigger a general election.
The Home Office’s Mike Tapp said such legislation would “stop the constant churn” of prime ministers in Downing Street.
In a post on X, the minister wrote: “Is it time to legislate; if a change of leader is forced by its own Party then a General Election must be called.
“That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery, instead of work place politics.
“These endless ‘house of cards’ games would end and the country would benefit. Let’s legislate to focus minds.”
His remarks come as his boss Keir Starmer is widely expected to resign as early as this morning – which would be the UK would be moving onto its seventh prime minister in the last decade.
The PM appears to have lost the support of much of his party after more than 100 Labour MPs and a handful of his own ministers urged him to step down.
Andy Burnham, the outgoing Greater Manchester mayor, has long had his eyes on No.10 and won the Makerfield by-election on Thursday.
He is thought to have the support of the required 81 Labour MPs needed to formally challenge Starmer’s leadership once he is sworn into the Commons this afternoon.
But Tapp’s suggestion to introduce a general election whenever there is a new party leader at the top of government received a mixed reaction, to say the least.
Fellow Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn wrote on X: “Mike Tapp appears surprised that we are a parliamentary democracy!
“The last two prime ministers to win an election then lose their job at the next election were Major and Wilson - course correction mid term in response to the public is the norm not the exception.”
Other social media users were split over whether this was a good plan.
No this is ridiculous. We vote for parties, not leaders. A new leader should implement the party’s winning manifesto and only if he wishes to significantly depart from that should an election be called.
— 🏛 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 🏛 (@nonregemesse) June 21, 2026Andy Burnham hearing this pic.twitter.com/NBZv0z9THn
— Half Dead Hacker (@HalfDHacker) June 21, 2026Fair point on the constant churn but let’s be honest, this is mainly Labour trying to protect a failing Starmer. Swapping him for Burnham changes nothing. Same hymn sheet, same bad policies. We don’t need rules to shield politicians from consequences. We need the public to have…
— Jane 💚🤍💜 (@immajanedoe) June 21, 2026No.
We're not Americans.
We don't vote for an individual, we vote for a parliament.
We must stop the yankification of British Politics.
Tapp later responded to the backlash, writing on X: “I’m pleased to see the debate, at least here on X, has begun. We cannot continue as we are.
“There are many nuances to this but at the core we must remember that as politicians we are here to serve the country - and 6 (possibly 7) PMs in 10 years is unsustainable.
“We need to find a better balance and this conversation is important.”
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