The rebellion within Britain’s ruling Labour Party against the leadership of unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached a peak Thursday with the resignation of Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Streeting announced that he had lost confidence in Starmer’s leadership and implicitly called for an internal leadership contest, the winner of which would automatically become Britain’s next prime minister thanks to Labour’s commanding majority in the House of Commons.
The revolt against Starmer erupted earlier this week following Labour’s crushing losses in local elections held last week in England, Wales and Scotland. The elections were widely seen as a referendum on Starmer’s leadership. Although he was elected less than two years ago, his popularity has plunged following a long string of political missteps.
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Starmer and the resigning health secretary, Streeting
(Photo: AP Photo/Jon Super,James Manning, Pool Photo via AP)
The local election defeat is viewed by many in Labour as a warning sign ahead of the next general election, currently scheduled for 2029. Polls project a victory for Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party, which has focused heavily on combating illegal immigration.
At least 90 lawmakers among Labour’s 403 members of Parliament have already called on Starmer to step down to allow a new leader to introduce reforms that could save the party in the next election. In recent days, Starmer has tried to contain the rebellion, warning that opening a leadership contest would plunge Labour into chaos and severely damage its public standing and ability to govern.
He also made clear that he intends to run in any leadership contest and fight for his political future. If such a contest is launched, additional senior Labour figures are expected to join the race, a scenario some British media outlets have described as an all-out “civil war” within the party.
It remains unclear, however, whether the resigning health secretary has enough support among Labour lawmakers to trigger a contest as long as Starmer refuses to resign voluntarily. Under party rules, Streeting needs the backing of 20% of Labour lawmakers, 81 MPs, to initiate a leadership election, in which Starmer would automatically qualify as a candidate.
Although more than 90 Labour lawmakers have called for Starmer to resign, they are divided among different factions within the party. Many oppose Streeting, who is viewed as a centrist aligned with Labour’s more moderate wing at a time when the party’s membership has shifted further left and the faction known as the “soft left” has grown significantly stronger.
In his public resignation letter, Streeting stopped short of formally declaring his candidacy in a possible leadership race, but wrote to Starmer: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election, and Labour MPs and trade unions want the discussion about ‘what comes next’ to be a battle of ideas, not one about personalities or petty factionalism. That debate should be broad and should include the strongest possible field of candidates. I support that approach and hope you will continue helping to make it possible.”
Starmer digs in: 'No to chaos'
Only hours after the resignation, Starmer responded in a letter of his own, maintaining a conciliatory tone while signaling no intention of stepping aside.
“We all have a duty to rise to what I see as a battle for the soul of our nation,” Starmer wrote in response to Streeting. “As part of that, we must deliver every promise we made to the country, including our promise to end the chaos overwhelmingly rejected by the British people in the last general election.”
He was referring to the turmoil sparked after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced out by the Conservatives in 2022. Johnson was replaced through a party leadership contest by Liz Truss, who resigned after just 49 days and was succeeded by Rishi Sunak, whom Starmer defeated in the 2024 election.
“I am truly sorry you will no longer sit around the Cabinet table and help transform our National Health Service,” Starmer added in his letter to Streeting. “But I have no doubt you will continue to play an important role in our party for many years to come. I hope we can work together to show that a Labour government can tackle the problems our opponents exploit, can offer hope where they want despair and can unite people where they seek division.”
'King of the North' seeks to enter the race
One of Streeting’s allies told Sky News that he does not intend to trigger an immediate leadership contest, despite claiming that Streeting has enough support to do so.
“He has the numbers, but he has decided not to ignite an immediate contest because it is clear that would not be best for the party. Starmer needs to set a timetable that allows for the broadest possible race. That is the only way to rebuild and emerge from this mess.”
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Angela Rayner, who last year was forced to resign as Starmer’s deputy over a tax scandal
(Photo: Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Streeting has long been viewed as quietly maneuvering behind the scenes to replace Starmer, but other senior Labour figures also see themselves as potential successors and could join the race if it begins.
One is former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who announced Thursday morning that she had settled a controversy surrounding taxes on a home purchase, a scandal that forced her resignation last year after revelations that she had failed to pay the full amount owed. The announcement was widely interpreted as preparation for a possible leadership bid.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who led Labour in the first half of the previous decade and oversaw the party’s defeat in the 2015 election, has also signaled in recent days that he may run if a contest is held.
The most popular figure in Labour is Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has held the role since 2017 and has been nicknamed the “King of the North” by the British media for his success confronting governments in London and representing northern England’s interests.
For now, however, Burnham cannot enter a Labour leadership race because he is not an MP. His allies therefore hope to delay the process to give him time to contest a parliamentary by-election for a vacant seat.
To that end, Burnham spent recent days seeking an ally willing to resign from Parliament on his behalf. On Thursday evening, Burnham announced he had succeeded: Labour lawmaker Josh Simons said he would step down, triggering a by-election in his Makerfield constituency near Manchester. Burnham announced he would run in the race.
The move is considered risky. Reform UK has gained significant strength in the constituency, and in the 2024 election Simons retained the seat by only 6,000 votes against his right-wing opponent. Farage quickly declared Thursday evening that his party would “throw everything” into winning the by-election in an effort to further embarrass Labour.
Burnham, a member of Labour’s “soft left,” enjoys relatively strong popularity with the general public. According to a YouGov poll, 36% of voters hold a favorable view of him, compared with 27% unfavorable — a net positive rating of 9 points. By comparison, Starmer’s net rating in the same poll stands at minus 45, Streeting’s at minus 20 and Rayner’s at minus 31.
Because of those numbers, Burnham is considered the candidate with the strongest chance of winning a Labour leadership contest. Earlier this year he had hoped to return to Parliament, but Starmer and his allies blocked him from contesting a February by-election.
Epstein and Palestine Action: The forces behind Starmer’s collapse
Starmer was elected prime minister in July 2024, leading Labour to a landslide victory that returned the center-left to power after 14 years of Conservative-led governments.
But his popularity has since collapsed following a series of political blunders. His government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised, restore faltering public services, ease the cost-of-living crisis and combat illegal immigration.
More recently, Starmer’s judgment came under scrutiny after he appointed Peter Mandelson, a close associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.
A former lawyer and chief prosecutor, Starmer has led Labour since 2020, when he replaced far-left leader Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer, whose wife Victoria is Jewish, launched a campaign against antisemitism within Labour after taking over the party and eventually expelled Corbyn himself.
Although Starmer led Labour to a sweeping victory in 2024, many commentators argued the result reflected widespread public frustration with Conservative scandals more than enthusiasm for Starmer personally, who was often viewed as dull and lacking charisma.
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Starmer and his wife, Victoria, leave the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street
(Photo: Brook Mitchell / AFP)
Over the past two years, Starmer has repeatedly reversed course on policies and reforms under public pressure. He has also frustrated Labour’s left wing with his relatively cautious economic policies, including reluctance to impose new taxes on the wealthy.
He angered the far left by designating the violent pro-Palestinian protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. At the same time, critics on the right accused him of capitulating to the same political camp when he recognized a Palestinian state in September last year, a move critics said “rewarded” Palestinian terrorism.
In recent months, Starmer has also faced mounting criticism over a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks in Britain, with critics arguing he has not done enough to stop it.
Streeting also criticized Israel: 'War crimes before our eyes'
For now, it remains difficult to predict who might win a leadership contest if one is ultimately held. But amid Labour’s fears of losing votes to the Greens on the left, particularly among Britain’s Muslim community, the party’s next leader may adopt an equally critical stance toward Israel.
Streeting, 43, is generally regarded as part of Labour’s more moderate wing, but in recent years he has shifted somewhat leftward on social issues and on Israel. He has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the war in Gaza.
Earlier this year, Streeting published WhatsApp exchanges with Mandelson in an apparent effort to distance himself from the controversy surrounding Starmer. Among the messages was one from July 2025 in which Streeting wrote that he supported recognition of a Palestinian state on “moral” grounds.
“Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes,” Streeting wrote. “Its government speaks the language of ethnic cleansing, and I have met our paramedics who were there and described the most horrifying and deeply disturbing scenes of calculated brutality against women and children.”