The UK government faces weeks of uncertainty as hard-pressed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for a leadership challenge from popular Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who cannot formally launch his candidacy until he finds a way back into Parliament.
Weeks of speculation about Starmer’s future turned into open rebellion within the ruling Labor Party when Burnham declared her intention to seek the top job and two other senior members positioned themselves to launch their own candidacies. Pressure to replace the current prime minister increased after Labor recorded disastrous results in last week’s local elections, losing votes to Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left.
Housing Minister Steve Reed on Friday called on party members to step back from the brink of a leadership contest – which he said would prevent the government from tackling issues such as the cost of living crisis and strengthen Reform UK’s chances. The call came after a week in which political maneuvering overshadowed everything else in Westminster.
After dozens of Labor MPs publicly called for Starmer to resign, Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first cabinet minister to resign. Although he praised the prime minister’s “courage and statesmanship” in international affairs, Streeting said he had lost confidence in the prime minister’s leadership due to mistakes on domestic issues.
Streeting stopped short of presenting himself as the best candidate to lead the party at the next general election, suggesting that Starmer should step aside to allow a “broad” field of candidates to debate the future of the party. This appeared to be a nod to Burnham, who has been looking for a way to return to the House of Commons so she can challenge Starmer for the top job.
Labor MP Josh Simons from the north of England resigned his seat explicitly to make a seat for Burnham. However, this was just the first step for Burnham and the path to Westminster is far from certain. First, he needs to win a by-election to represent Makerfield, a community where Reform UK had strong results in last week’s local elections.
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