Why the path to No 10 is not an easy one for any of Starmer’s would-be challengers

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he gets on with the job of governing Britain as he faces the biggest challenge to his leadership since taking office.

The prime minister is facing increasing pressure to resign as ministers have resigned and dozens of Labor MPs have called for him to step down.

One of the reasons why he remains the same as his pain deepens with each passing hour is that the road to number 10 will not be easy for his rivals.

From links to disgraced former Labor deputy leader Peter Mandelson to tax scandals, here we look at the potential challenges facing each of the main contenders.

Wes Street

All eyes are now on the health minister, who is thought to be the cabinet minister likely to replace Sir Keir.

He has never shied away from his ambition to become Prime Minister and is understood to have the support of enough Labor MPs to launch his leadership bid, receiving more than the 81 MPs required to trigger a leadership election.

But starting a leadership challenge now could make him politically uncomfortable. Rishi Sunak’s resignation hastened Boris Johnson’s exit from 10th place, but despite becoming Prime Minister, Mr Sunak has never shaken his reputation as the man who backstabbed his boss and faces accusations of being a traitor by Tory voters.

Although he is keen to avoid that fate, this is not the only problem facing Mr Streeting.

She is also involved with Peter Mandelson, the disgraced Labor granddaddy. When the Mandelson scandal shook the government, the health minister was forced to publish correspondence between the two earlier this year. Mr Streeting insists they are not close friends.

In writing about the texts, he said, “contrary to what has been widely reported, I was not a close friend of Peter Mandelson, but I will not wash my hands of my actual relationship with him.”

Sir Keir was reportedly alerted to Mr Streeting’s intentions after a Downing Street staffer mistakenly texted him details of his bid, including his campaign’s “five pillars” and “PFG”, which stands for government plan.

He is a charismatic cabinet minister who can connect with the public. However, their popularity among the public is low; Only 13 per cent of voters think he will do a better job than Sir Keir.

But the party’s centre-right position could also pose a hindrance to its ambitions. The next leader will be elected not by the public, but by members of the Labor Party who are perceived to be more left-wing than the general population.

Andy Burnham

The so-called “King of the North” is popular with Labor MPs, party members and the public. But he faces a major hurdle: he has no seat at Westminster.

Sir Keir infamously blocked a potential return earlier this year, preventing him from taking part in the Gorton and Denton by-elections.

Since then, rumors have circulated among his allies about potential seats in which he could stand. But on Tuesday St Helens MP Marie Rimmer, the current holder of one of those seats, said she would not be going anywhere, adding that she had not spoken to Mr Burnham for years.

There is also the question of whether he will survive if he goes to a by-election. The majority of the National Executive Council (NEC), the party’s powerful governing body, voted with Sir Keir to block Mr Burnham from standing.

If elected MP, he will have to step down as mayor of Greater Manchester; This will trigger an election that Labor fears it could lose amid the rise of Reform and the Greens.

Allies say he has plans to return as an MP and his team has reportedly lined up an “impressive” candidate to replace him as mayor, potentially reason to block him.

But even if all these obstacles are removed, he currently faces an uphill battle to win any seat. And other parties, particularly the Greens and Reform, would throw everything at the by-election to stop him.

Angela Rayner

Rumors about Angela Rayner’s ambitions have been circulating since she was forced to resign from Sir Keir’s cabinet last September after it was revealed she had underpaid stamp duty on her Brighton flat. This fight could still prevent him from breaking into the No.10 spot.

Popular with MPs who see her as a shrewd political operator, Ms Rayner is also on the party’s soft left and is seen as more likely to win votes from party members.

Earlier this year, in what was seen as his most public challenge to Sir Keir, he warned that Labor was “running out of time” to deliver change and “unable to act in the face of decline”.

There were rumors of a joint bid with Mr Burnham after talks with the mayor of Greater Manchester. This could boost his popularity, which has been damaged since the tax scandal, when only 15 per cent of voters believed he would do a better job than Sir Keir.

But ultimately, the biggest obstacle for the former deputy prime minister may be tax issues. The scandal broke last summer but appears to have not yet been resolved.

Even if the final bill is resolved quickly, some in the party think that means it won’t last.

A Labor colleague recently said: Independent: “The Labor Party cannot have a party leader who does not pay the right taxes while taxing the people.”