LONDON (AP) 鈥� Prime Minister Keir Starmer鈥檚 future is uncertain as key Labour Party members prepare to challenge his leadership.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit embattled Starmer鈥檚 Cabinet Thursday in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership. Streeting is the first Cabinet member to resign.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she resolved a tax issue that forced her resignation last year, allowing her to also consider a challenge. Rayner told the Guardian that Starmer should 鈥渞eflect on鈥� his position. Starmer is in a precarious position after Labour鈥檚 heavy losses in recent elections. More than 80 lawmakers have urged him to set a timetable for his departure. Starmer says he has no intention to stand down.
The is in a precarious position after the in local and regional elections last week. More than 80 lawmakers in the House of Commons have since urged him to , though no one has yet challenged Starmer directly.
Starmer says he has no intention to stand down, and has his own supporters within the party. More than 100 lawmakers have signed a letter saying it鈥檚 鈥渘o time鈥� for a leadership contest.
Streeting or Rayner would each need signatures from at least 81 Labour lawmakers to launch a challenge.
Here’s the latest:
Cabinet behind Starmer, Education Secretary says
Bridget Phillipson said the Cabinet is 鈥渂ehind鈥� Starmer and that the resignation of Streeting marks a chance for the Labour Party to 鈥渄raw a line鈥� under the leadership debate.
鈥淲hat I can say very clearly is that the prime minister has my full support, continues to have my full support, and he has the Cabinet behind him in the important job that he鈥檚 doing, leading our country at a very unstable time,鈥� she said.
Phillipson is the first member of the Cabinet to comment on Streeting鈥檚 resignation.
鈥淚鈥檓 sad that he鈥檚 gone, but I think this is now a chance for us to pause, take a breath as a party and try and draw a line under all of this,鈥� she said.
Streeting鈥檚 main points in his resignation letter
Here are some of the key comments of his letter, which appear to be the launchpad of his leadership campaign:
Streeting told Starmer that it is 鈥渃lear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election鈥� and urged him to set a timetable for his departure that allows for a 鈥渂road鈥� field of candidates.
He said Starmer had shown 鈥渃ourage and statesmanship on the world stage 鈥� not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran,鈥� but highlighted what he considered Starmer鈥檚 political failings.
He also said he had informed Starmer that he had lost confidence in his leadership and that it would be 鈥渄ishonourable and unprincipled鈥� for him to stay in post.
Streeting voiced his worries about the future of the U.K. in light of last week鈥檚 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� election results.
Streeting added that it is incumbent on progressives to 鈥渃onfront鈥� this threat, but that they are 鈥渋ncreasingly losing faith鈥� that Labour can rise to its 鈥渉istoric responsibility of defeating racism and offering hope that Britain鈥檚 best days lie ahead through social democracy.鈥�
Wes Streeting resigns as health secretary
Health Secretary quit embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer鈥檚 Cabinet Thursday in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership.
Streeting is the first Cabinet member to resign as Starmer faces pressure to step down after the Labour Party鈥檚 disastrous results last week in local and regional elections.
Streeting, whose political ambitions have long been known, is considered one of a handful of people who could try to unseat Starmer.
Labour doesn鈥檛 have muscle memory of changing leaders
For the past decade or so, since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, leadership battles have become a regular feature of British politics.
If Keir Starmer were to be ousted in any leadership battle to come, the U.K. would embark on its 7th prime minister since the Brexit vote first prompted David Cameron to stand down.
The Conservative Party then got into the habit of changing leaders. From Theresa May to Boris Johnson to Liz Truss and finally Rishi Sunak.
When Sunak lost the 2024 general election to the Labour Party, it was widely assumed that stability would return to the top of government, with Starmer at least set fair for the length of his five-year mandate.
But changing leaders is easier said than done. No Labour prime minister has ever been dislodged, though Tony Blair announced his plan to resign in 2007 after a series of low-level resignations.
Positive growth news sidelined by leadership wrangles
With leadership speculation swirling, stronger-than-anticipated U.K. economic growth figures have been largely ignored.
On coming to power in July 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said raising the country鈥檚 anemic growth rates over the previous 15 years or so was his number one priority.
Official figures on Thursday showed that growth was heading in the right direction in the first three months of 2026, even after accounting for the negative impact emanating from the start of the Iran war.
The Office for National Statistics said growth rose by 0.6% in the first quarter from the previous three-month period, with most sectors advancing. More growth means more tax revenues to fund Labour鈥檚 priorities and potentially lower borrowing.
Treasury chief Rachel Reeves, who has been widely blamed for many of the policy missteps that have hurt Labour鈥檚 popularity, warned colleagues not to put the economy 鈥渁t risk鈥� by 鈥減lunging the country into chaos.鈥�
Former Royal Marine touted as potential candidate
A former Royal Marine who served with distinction in Afghanistan is being touted as a potential candidate to replace Starmer in the event of a leadership battle.
Al Carns, who is the armed forces minister in Starmer鈥檚 Labour government, has seen his stock rise within the party ever since he was first elected to Parliament in Labour鈥檚 2024 landslide election victory.
Carns, 46, has a captivating personal story that could attract support among the different factions within Labour. In addition to his distinguished service in Afghanistan, which saw him awarded the Military Cross in 2011, Carns was born in a working-class family in the Scottish oil town of Aberdeen to a single mum.
鈥淲e do not need more slogans, strategies, press releases or commissions,鈥� Carns said in an article for The New Statesman magazine published on Thursday, 鈥淲e need action.鈥�
His weakness is likely to be his lack of experience. Replacing a leader who has been criticized for his lack of political nous with a relative newcomer, however compelling their backstory, could be risky.
UK leadership contenders expected to launch bids to unseat prime minister after days of maneuvering
Efforts to unseat Starmer are likely to break out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival expected to announce his bid for the job and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest.
Allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting say he will make an announcement later in the day after garnering enough support from lawmakers of the governing Labour Party to challenge Starmer for leadership of the party and the government.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Thursday that she had reached an agreement with tax authorities to clear up questions about her taxes that forced her to leave the Cabinet last September. Rayner told the Guardian newspaper that Starmer should 鈥渞eflect on鈥� his position, adding that she was ready to 鈥減lay my part鈥� in any leadership election if Streeting were to trigger a contest.
Pressure for Starmer to step aside or face a leadership challenge has intensified since the Labour Party in local and regional elections last week.
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