Sir Keir Starmer is fighting to stay on as Prime Minister after dozens of MPs called on him to resign immediately or set a timetable for his departure.
Health Minister Wes Streeting, considered one of the main potential challengers for the premiership, has resigned. He told Sir Keir: “It is now clear that you will not lead Labor into the next general election.”
Sir Keir warned his ministers and MPs that the leadership battle could lead to “chaos”.
Why is Starmer under pressure from his own MPs?
Labor performed poorly in its biggest election since its landslide victory in the 2024 general election. Many see the poll as a key test of Sir Keir’s leadership.
Labor lost almost 1,500 councilors in local elections in England and the Greens also dented the party’s support as the reformist wing of Nigel Farage surged.
It was also ousted from power in Wales, where it enjoyed a century of political dominance. Labor also won just 17 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, the worst ever result at a Holyrood election.
The BBC has learned that nearly 90 Labor MPs have since called on Starmer to resign or set a timetable for his resignation.
Streeting, who left office on Thursday, published a letter to the prime minister in which he said the debate over what happens next requires “the best possible field of candidates”. His supporters expect him to challenge Sir Keir for the Labor leadership.
Safeguarding Minister Jesse Phillips, Communities Minister Miata Farnbra, Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones and Health Minister Zubir Ahmed have also resigned. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmoud called on Sir Keir to set a date for his departure.
However, more than 150 MPs expressed support for the prime minister or said it was not the right time for a leadership contest. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is among those warning against leadership competition.
How will the leadership challenge be conducted and who can participate?
MPs unhappy with Sir Keir staying in office may try to force a leadership election.
This would require 20% of the party’s MPs to support an alternative candidate. There are 403 Labor MPs, so the support of 81 MPs is needed.
Once the Labor leadership election is triggered, other candidates can join the race if they also have 81 supporters.
Sir Keir does not need to gather support as he will automatically appear on the ballot paper if he chooses to stand in the leadership election.
He will remain Prime Minister during any election campaign.
No Labor prime minister has ever faced a formal leadership challenge from MPs.
[BBC]
How does the vote to elect the Labor leader work?
Party members and affiliated union supporters vote by ranking the candidates in order of preference – placing one candidate next to their favorite, two as their second choice, and so on.
If a candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes, they will be declared the winner.
If not, then the bottom-ranking candidate will be eliminated, and voters who ranked them first will see their votes moved to their second choice.
This elimination process continues until one candidate receives a majority of the votes.
The timetable for the leadership vote will be decided by Labour’s decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC).
In 2020, candidates had time to secure the nomination before a six-week vote.
The leadership battle was triggered when Jeremy Corbyn announced his resignation after the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election.
Who could replace Starmer as Labor leader and Prime Minister?
[EPA]
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner are considered the main potential challengers to Sir Keir.
Wes Streeting
The health minister backed the Prime Minister after Labour’s election defeat but did not explicitly rule out running in any contest.
Some who would like to see him replace Sir Keir believe this could be his best chance before Andy Burnham returns to Westminster.
Streeting’s links to Peter Mandelson, who was appointed Britain’s ambassador to the US – despite his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – led to questions about Sir Keir’s judgement.
Streeting announced his resignation at lunchtime on Thursday after days of intense speculation that he was preparing to succeed him.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he said there was a “increasing loss of confidence” in Labour’s responsibility to deliver hope for a better future for Britain.
Andy Burnham
Although Burnham has made no secret of his leadership ambitions, he must first become a member of Congress before he can run.
The National Electoral Commission banned him from doing so earlier this year.
It refused to allow Burnham to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-elections and said the cost to the party of holding a mayoral election to replace him would be “disproportionate”.
The mayor’s supporters hope the leadership race will be postponed until he can return to parliament.
Angela Reiner
Rayner is favored by some on the left wing of the party.
In his first public comments since the election, Rayner called on Labor to give regional mayors more economic powers and raise the minimum wage. “We are in danger of becoming the party of wealthy people rather than working people,” she said.
Rayner resigned as Sir Keir’s deputy prime minister in September 2025 after she failed to pay the correct amount of stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove.
But on Thursday, she said in a statement that HRMC had “exonerated” her of the charge of “deliberate tax avoidance.”
In an interview with the Guardian, she did not rule out entering any Labor leadership contest but said she would not “spark” a contest.
What happens if Starmer resigns or sets a timetable for his departure?
The Prime Minister will remain in office unless he resigns. Sir Keir told the cabinet he would prove his “doubters” wrong and would not “walk away”.
However, if that changes, he could choose to stay in office during the transition period before handing over to his successor, who would be the Labor leader and Prime Minister.
If Sir Keir chooses to resign immediately, under Labour’s rules, cabinet members will replace him in a caretaker capacity.
This will involve a decision by the Cabinet, which will consult with the National Electoral Commission.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lamy will not necessarily assume a caretaker role.
A leadership competition will follow.
In this case, each potential challenger would need the support of 20% of the party’s MPs and the support of 5% of the Constituent Labor Party (CLP), or the support of at least three affiliated organizations, two of which must be affiliated unions.
Can the opposition force an election?
Whoever wins the Labor leadership election will automatically become prime minister, without the need for a general election.
However, prime ministers must have the “confidence” of the House of Commons to govern, meaning they must have the support of a majority of MPs.
If the leader of the opposition (current Conservative leader Kemi Badenock) moves a motion of no confidence, the government is expected to provide parliamentary time for debate and a vote.
The motion only requires one more vote in favor than against to succeed.
If the government loses the vote, a general election is usually held.
An important caveat to note is that 403 of Westminster’s 650 MPs are Labor MPs.
Any motion would therefore have to be supported by several Labor MPs to succeed, which is highly unlikely.
[BBC]
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