Liberian-born British politician Miatta Fahnbulleh has stepped down from her role in the United Kingdom government and is now openly calling for new leadership within the Labour Party following recent electoral setbacks.
Fahnbulleh, who served as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, confirmed her resignation in a strongly worded letter released on social media.
Her decision comes amid growing pressure within Labour, with several Members of Parliament urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to set out a clear timetable for leadership transition.
Reports from the BBC indicate that she is the first sitting UK government minister to resign in the wake of internal party tensions triggered by disappointing election outcomes.
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In her resignation statement, Fahnbulleh said the government had not delivered with the urgency or ambition expected by voters who supported Labour's promise of change.
She wrote: "Whilst progress has been made, we have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as a Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions."
She also criticized recent policy decisions, including reductions in support for pensioners and disabled people, arguing that these moves had weakened public trust in the government.
"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 said, adding that the public no longer believes the Prime Minister can deliver the promised change.
Fahnbulleh went further, directly questioning Starmer's ability to lead the party forward.
"The public does not believe that you can lead this change -- and nor do I," she stated.
She urged the Prime Minister to act in the national and party interest by outlining a structured leadership transition to allow a new team to take over and deliver Labour's agenda.
Before leaving office, Fahnbulleh held several senior positions, including Minister for Energy Consumers, where she said she helped deliver energy bill reductions for about six million households and supported the government's Warm Homes initiative.
In her most recent role, she was responsible for programmes such as Pride in Place and reforms related to devolution and community empowerment across England.
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Born in Liberia on September 29, 1979, she is the daughter of Liberian diplomat Dr. Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh Jr. and a Sierra Leonean mother. Her family left Liberia during the civil war and later resettled in the United Kingdom as refugees.
She later became a respected economist and policy expert, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University and earning a PhD in Economic Development from the London School of Economics.
Before entering Parliament in 2024 as the Labour MP for Peckham, she served as Chief Executive Officer of the New Economics Foundation, where she focused on economic reform, climate policy, and social justice issues.
