UK PM Keir Starmer under pressure as Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigns, setting up potential Labour leadership challenge

Health Minister Wes Streeting on Thursday became the first senior minister to resign in what was seen as a harbinger of a challenge to Starmer’s leadership. He said he had lost confidence in Starmer, who should not serve the rest of his term.

“You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage – not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran,” Streeting wrote in an admonishing resignation letter.

“But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.”

But Streeting stopped short of saying he was the best candidate to lead the party at the next election in 2029. He suggested Starmer should step aside to allow a “broad” field of candidates to debate the party’s future.

Starmer is under increasing pressure to resign following his Labor Party’s disastrous results in local and regional elections last week. The election mishandling reinforced doubts among many party members about Starmer’s judgement, vision and leadership ability – a brutal indictment of a leader who brought Labor back to power in July 2024 after fourteen years in opposition.

Starmer responded in a generous letter to Streeting, saying he was “truly sorry” to see him leave the government and praising his stewardship of the state-run National Health Service.

Starmer made no reference to Streeting’s criticism and expressed hope that the two can “work together to show that Labor in power can tackle the problems our opponents exploit, install hope where they want despair, and bring people together where they want division.”

If Starmer does not step down, any challenger will need the support of a fifth of Labor lawmakers, or 81, to spark a leadership battle.

Streeting was expected for days to make a bid on Thursday, but the wording of his statement fueled speculation that he did not yet have enough votes, or that he was giving Starmer the chance to announce his resignation on his own terms.

Another likely challenger, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, said on Thursday she had reached an agreement with authorities to clarify questions about her taxes that forced her to quit the Cabinet last September.

Rayner said The Guardian The paper said Starmer would have to “think about” his position, adding that she was prepared to “play my role” in any leadership election if Streeting provoked a contest.

A third rival, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, was ineligible for the leadership because he did not have a seat in parliament, but on Thursday afternoon a Labor MP announced he was standing aside so Burnham could stand in a special election. If elected, Burnham could run for leadership.

“There can only be so much done from Greater Manchester. Much bigger changes are needed at a national level if we are to make everyday life more affordable again,” he said on X.

“This is why I am now seeking people’s support to return to Parliament: to take the change we have brought in Greater Manchester to the whole of Britain and make politics work well for people.”

The race to dethrone Starmer is heating up

Pressure on Starmer to step aside has increased since Labor suffered heavy losses in last week’s local and regional elections. This underlines voters’ frustration with a government that has failed to deliver on its promises to boost economic growth and improve the living standards of working people.

A stagnant economy and stubbornly high inflation have made it difficult for Starmer’s government to deliver on the promises it made when it won a landslide election victory less than two years ago.

Starmer has vowed to stay in office, warning lawmakers that any leadership battle would destabilize the government when it should be focusing on issues such as the cost of living crisis and war in the Middle East.

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