Starmer ‘has 24 hours to save himself’ as rivals jostle for power | UK | News
With rivals circling and the clock ticking, Sir Keir Starmer has less than a day to demonstrate his grip on power as Rayner, Streeting and Burnham brace themselves for a potential contest.
The scale of last week’s defeat was historic; Nearly 1,500 council seats were lost, the Welsh Senedd capitulated to Plaid Cymru and Reform UK gained more than 1,450 seats, including control of many former Labor strongholds.
More than 40 Labor MPs publicly called on Sir Keir to step aside; This is a significant indication of discontent, but the threshold for a formal objection is still 81 candidates.
Admitting that the early part of his premiership has been very bad, the Express understands Starmer will tell his supporters on Monday: “People need hope. We will face big challenges and put forward big arguments.”
What did Angela Rayner say about Keir Starmer’s leadership?
Rayner refrained from publicly calling for Sir Keir’s sacking, but his intervention – a lengthy press release outlining his vision for Labor – left little doubt about his ambitions or his assessment of his leadership.
He called on him to “seize the moment and deliver the change our country needs” and backed Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster.
“What we are doing is not working and needs to change. This may be our last chance,” he said.
The former Labor deputy leader said the Mandelson scandal had exposed a “toxic culture of nepotism”, warned Labor was “in danger of becoming the party of the wealthy, not the party of working people” and said: “It is time to admit that blocking Andy Burnham was a mistake.”
Could Andy Burnham replace Keir Starmer as Labor leader?
Burnham’s path back to Westminster is complicated by her lack of a parliamentary seat, Metro reports. A colleague would need to trigger a by-election on his behalf – Burnham’s ally, Norwich MP Clive Lewis, publicly denied he was considering this and described such speculation as “hallucinatory Jackanory”.
Lewis shared on
Left-wing MP Richard Burgon also weighed in on the issue, warning that the Labor Party would “face the danger of a Trump-style government” if the current cabinet replaces Starmer. He said: “Keir must go. But we only have one chance to get this right. So he must set a timetable for stepping aside with a new leader in office by the end of the year. This will allow for a proper democratic leadership contest with all candidates and a serious debate about how Labor has changed its course, the policies needed to rebuild support and how we stop Nigel Farage taking the keys to Downing Street.”
Is Wes Streeting preparing for a Labor leadership bid?
Streeting has signaled to Downing Street that he could take action if necessary, but he makes a careful distinction between preparation and conspiracy. He is convening what his allies describe as a leadership “case” if Sir Keir is impeached rather than resign.
An ally of Streeting told the Daily Telegraph: “Wes has made it clear to No 10 that he will not challenge Keir, but he is preparing a case if it all goes wrong. Like much of the party, he thinks Keir has the chance to determine how to turn things around this week. He is not plotting.”
Starmer can beat Farage
Electability against Farage will be the centerpiece of any Streeting campaign. His team point to Labour’s hold on Redbridge council, which covers part of the East London constituency, as concrete evidence that it can side alone against Reformation.
The ally said: “He has shown this week that he can win. The results in Redbridge show Wes can beat challengers on both the Left and the Right. If there is competition, Labor’s next leader must be someone who can keep Farage out of No 10.”
Streeting’s team is also expected to present NHS data to be published on Thursday; This data is expected to show the health service has met or is close to meeting its target of seeing 65 per cent of patients for non-urgent treatment within 18 weeks.
Streeting’s allies, by contrast, argue Rayner’s anti-Farage credentials have been fatally compromised by Reform’s takeover of Tameside, a council covering part of his district in Greater Manchester.
Both Rayner and Streeting appear to be steering clear of open challenge and quietly preparing themselves for what comes next.
