Streeting warns Starmer he could trigger Labour leadership contest next week

Wes Streeting has issued a stern warning to Sir Keir Starmer, saying he is ready to launch the Labor leadership contest as early as next week. The ultimatum is contingent on Andy Burnham securing victory in this week’s Makerfield by-election, prompting Mr Streeting to ask Sir Keir to set a timetable for his departure.

The former health minister claimed he had the support of 80 MPs, the threshold required to enter the leadership contest. He publicly criticized Sir Keir on Tuesday, accusing him of ignoring the concerns of both the party and his own cabinet.

Amid this internal Labor Party infighting, the Prime Minister announced his intention to defy criticism, promising to “get on with what I was elected to do” and “bring back the change people desperately need” as he fights for political survival.

Mr Streeting expressed hope that Sir Keir would use the weekend to reflect and choose to leave “on his own terms” following the June 18 election; This could pave the way for Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster and a potential challenge to the Prime Minister.

But pressed on whether he would launch a contest if Sir Keir remains in place, as the Prime Minister has made clear he wants, the former Cabinet minister told BBC Newsnight: “We cannot go on with this uncertainty and paralysis and there will have to be a contest and I am prepared to do that.”

Mr Streeting said he did not “want to get into the ‘Is it Monday or Tuesday’ question about how soon he would be willing to challenge, but said Sir Keir should be given “time over the weekend” to consider his position.

Asked whether he would challenge Sir Keir if the Mayor of Manchester fails to win the Makerfield by-election, LBC’s Andrew Marr told his programme: “Yes, I believe we need a change of leadership, and I still believe we need that change of leadership if Andy Burnham doesn’t come back.”

Criticizing the Prime Minister, Mr Streeting told Sky News: The Cathy Newman Show: “I don’t think he’s listening to his former defense secretary, I don’t think he’s listening to his chiefs of staff, I don’t think he’s listening to our NATO allies.

“For Labor, I don’t think he listened to his Cabinet, I don’t think he listened to the parliamentary party and I don’t think he listened to the voters, who only sent Labor that very humble message at the ballot box in May.”

Outlining his economic vision to reporters at a press conference in central London earlier, the senior Labor figure said: “There is a huge amount of talent in the front and backbenches of the Parliamentary Labor Party.

“It is not used well enough and the divisions between different tribes of the Labor Party are often exaggerated.

“I think we all have a common sense of what’s wrong. I think we have different views on how to fix it, but ultimately we need to come together.”

Mr Streeting’s diagnosis is that Labor currently suffers from three problems: leadership, policy and culture.

He continued: “After Thursday’s byelection, when the results come out and I very much hope that Andy Burnham will win – I was there again yesterday to campaign on his behalf – when the results come out, I hope the Prime Minister will reflect on his position at this stage and set out a timetable.

“I think this will be a better path for everyone and enable the better culture we desire.”

Meanwhile, former deputy chancellor Angela Rayner praised Mr Burnham’s byelection campaign in an interview with the Mirror, saying he had won voters over with a “new type of politics”.

He sidestepped questions about whether he would support the Mayor of Manchester but said it was “hard to escape the public’s feeling for Keir”.

Asked whether it was too late to achieve the change needed under Sir Keir’s leadership, he said: “I don’t think it is too late for Labor to deliver that and that is a different question.

“I know I didn’t answer your question directly. I think it’s hard to escape the public’s feelings towards Keir.”

The Prime Minister, who attended the G7 summit in France, was asked by journalists about the threats to his leadership.

“So many times throughout my political journey people have told me it’s not possible,” he said.

“They said it was not possible to turn Labor around, it was not possible to win an election.

“If you win the election, it’s not possible to invest in your public services and stabilize the economy; that’s always wrong, and so rather than walk away from that, I intend to continue what I was elected to do, which is to serve this country, to bring back the change that people so desperately need in their lives.”

Multiple opinion polls have suggested Mr Burnham is the favorite to win this week’s by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency.

While his closest rival is Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, Nigel Farage’s political team is worried about losing voters to the Restore Britain party, which positions itself as a tougher party than Reform on immigration and other issues.