LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing an imminent open challenge to his leadership of the ruling Labour Party, as two high-profile political figures have cleared the path for a leadership contest set to unfold Thursday.
Wes Streeting, the current UK Health Secretary, has secured the required number of endorsements from Labour Members of Parliament to formally launch a challenge against Starmer for both party leadership and the office of prime minister, according to close allies of the Health Secretary. Streeting is expected to make his official challenge announcement later Thursday.
The second major development came from former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who confirmed Thursday she has resolved outstanding tax disputes with UK tax authorities that forced her resignation from the Cabinet in September 2024. Speaking to the Guardian, Rayner said Starmer needs to “reflect on” his hold on the premiership, adding that she stands ready to take part in any leadership contest triggered by Streeting’s challenge. A prominent figure aligned with Labour’s left wing, Rayner has long pushed for more aggressive progressive policies including a higher minimum wage and increased taxation on the wealthiest Britons.
Calls for Starmer’s resignation have mounted rapidly over the past week after the Labour Party recorded catastrophic losses in nationwide local and regional elections. The poor election outcome amplified widespread voter frustration over what many see as the glacial pace of policy change under Starmer’s 10-month-old government.
Despite the growing mutiny within his own party, Starmer has remained defiant, pledging publicly to hold onto his position. He has warned that opening a leadership contest at this juncture would throw the British government into crippling chaos, at a moment when the administration should be prioritizing urgent national and global issues: the ongoing UK cost of living crisis and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Under formal Labour Party rules, any candidate seeking to challenge the incumbent party leader must secure the public support of at least 81 of the party’s 403 sitting House of Commons MPs. In recent days, more than that threshold of Labour lawmakers have publicly called for Starmer to step down, clearing the signature hurdle for any challenger.
Both Streeting and Starmer hail from the moderate faction of the centre-left Labour Party, a dynamic that could split establishment party support in a contest. Beyond Streeting and Rayner, other potential candidates are already being tipped to enter the race. Andy Burnham, the popular and widely respected Mayor of Greater Manchester, has emerged as a frequent name in leadership speculation, though he currently sits outside Parliament — a requirement for any Labour leader. Sources close to Burnham indicate that a sitting Labour MP could step down to trigger a by-election that would allow Burnham to win a parliamentary seat ahead of any leadership vote. Burnham fueled speculation this week when he canceled his regular weekly appearance on BBC local radio, citing a need to “prioritize discussions arising from last week’s elections.”