Jess Phillips
Labour MP who resigned as Safeguarding Minister 12 May 2026, calling Starmer's continuation untenable.
Last refreshed: 14 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does Jess Phillips's resignation say about Labour's grassroots tolerance for Starmer?
Timeline for Jess Phillips
Resigned as Safeguarding Minister and called Starmer's continuation wholly untenable
UK Local Elections 2026: Eight resign in two days on Starmer- Why did Jess Phillips resign from the Labour government?
- Phillips resigned as Safeguarding Minister on 12 May 2026, saying Keir Starmer's continuation in office was 'wholly untenable.' She was one of four junior ministers to resign on the same day.Source: Left Foot Forward
- Who is Jess Phillips and what was her role in Labour's government?
- Phillips is Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley (since 2015) and was Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Safeguarding, covering child protection, domestic abuse, and modern slavery policy.Source: Left Foot Forward
Background
Jess Phillips resigned as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding on 12 May 2026, becoming one of four junior ministers to walk out on the same day. Her resignation letter stated that Keir Starmer's continuation in office was "wholly untenable," the starkest language of the mid-week departures. She joins a sequence that began with four PPSs on 11 May and escalated to the Cabinet level with Wes Streeting on 14 May.
Phillips has been MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015. She is known for outspoken advocacy on violence against women and girls and had a political profile that combined grassroots campaigning with a confrontational parliamentary style. The Safeguarding portfolio — covering child protection, domestic abuse, and modern slavery — was directly aligned with her background as a campaigner before entering Parliament.
Her departure alongside Miatta Fahnbulleh, Alex Davies-Jones, and Zubir Ahmed on 12 May created the impression of a coordinated second-wave walkout the day after the PPSs. Whether coordinated or coincidental, the simultaneous Nature amplified the political signal.