Wes Streeting has declared he is prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest as early as next week, plunging the party into a fresh crisis just days before a crucial by-election. The former health secretary told BBC Newsnight that “uncertainty and paralysis” in the party’s leadership must be resolved if Labour wins Thursday’s Makerfield by-election – a contest in which Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is standing to return to parliament.
“I think the prime minister should be given some space and time to reflect over the weekend and I think we should see where we are then,” Streeting said. “I would prefer the PM to take a decision on his own terms rather than leave it for me or Andy or anyone else to trigger a contest. If not we can’t carry on with this uncertainty and paralysis and there will need to be a contest and I would be prepared to do that.”
“Wes Streeting says he can trigger a Labour leadership contest next week if Starmer does not quit after the Makerfield by-election.”
Streeting declined to specify whether he would move on Monday or Tuesday, but earlier told the BBC he had secured the backing of 81 Labour MPs – the number needed to launch a challenge. The move follows his resignation from government last month, when he accused Sir Keir Starmer of “drift and a lack of vision”.
Speaking to the New Statesman, Streeting was even more damning, arguing that the May elections showed a “resounding” rejection of Starmer’s leadership. He said the prime minister had failed on three tests Labour needs to win: leadership, economic trust and national security. “I don’t think he’s taken responsibility or even acknowledged what happened to good Labour people who lost their seats in May,” Streeting said.
Starmer, speaking at the G7 summit in France, reiterated his intention “not to walk away” but to “carry on with what I was elected to do”. But allies of the prime minister now believe Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is poised to resign next week as part of a cabinet coup if Starmer refuses to make way for Burnham, according to the Daily Mail.
Burnham cannot initiate a leadership race until he wins the Makerfield by-election and becomes an MP. Streeting acknowledged he would be the underdog against the more popular Burnham among Labour members, but sought to frame the contest as a “battle of ideas” over the party’s future. In a speech in central London, he promised not to make costly pledges he would later reverse, positioning himself as the financially responsible candidate.
Meanwhile, the UK is bracing for a weekend heatwave, with temperatures possibly reaching 33C (91.4F) early next week, and heat health alerts already in effect. But for Labour, the political temperature is even higher.