Keir Starmer has the ‘resilience of a cockroach’ says Jess Phillips

Politics
21 May 2026 • 11:36 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Keir Starmer has the ‘resilience of a cockroach’ says Jess Phillips

  • Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips described Sir Keir Starmer as possessing the “resilience of a cockroach” during her first interview since stepping down from the government.
  • Phillips resigned on 12 May, citing her inability to continue serving as a minister due to not observing “the change” she and the country expected.
  • Her comment, likening Sir Keir to a “cockroach in a nuclear war,” was made during an appearance on the ITV Peston show on Wednesday, 20 May.
  • The remark came in response to a question concerning Sir Keir Starmer's prospects of remaining as prime minister.
  • Phillips also highlighted the unpredictable nature of recent political developments, suggesting that those who had made predictions were “probably eating their hats now.”

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