Following a “devastating” set of local election results in May 2026, United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces significant internal pressure to resign. While Starmer has vowed to “prove his
doubters wrong” and remains in office, several high-profile figures are being discussed as potential successors.
What is Starmer’s stance?
Starmercame out fighting for his job on Tuesday amid a brewing rebellion in his ranks, with a chunk of ministers calling for him to set out a timetable for a leadership change. Starmer remained defiant during a crunch Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, telling his team that he intends to “get on with governing” as he tries to move on from the Labour Party’s disastrous local election under his watch.
Even as pressure mounted further with the resignation of a lesser-known junior housing minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Starmer was adamant that the required threshold of 20 per cent MPs to challenge the Labour leader had not been met. “As I said yesterday, I take responsibility for these election results, and I take responsibility for delivering the change we promised,” Starmer told his Cabinet. “The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government, and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families. The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered. “The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet,” he said. His statement could be seen as a dare by some Labour members of Parliament who have been pressuring Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.
“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I’ve got some doubters, including in my own party – and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I have to prove them wrong, and I will,” Starmer had declared. But as junior ministers begin resigning and behind-the-scenes pressure mounts, the window for him to get a chance to prove his doubters wrong continues to close rapidly.
Who wants Starmer gone?
According to media reports, some senior Cabinet figures, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, are among those calling for Starmer to go. Others like Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey are also believed to be in favour of an orderly transition plan.
Who are the frontrunners?
The key contenders as per Reuters and Al Jazeera reports:
Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester): Widely considered the most popular Labour figure. Recent polling shows he is the only major Labour politician with a positive net favorability rating. However, he is currently not an MP, meaning he would need to win a by-election before he can officially stand for the leadership.
Angela Rayner (Former Deputy Prime Minister): Remains popular with the party’s 2024 voter base. While she has not officially confirmed a bid, her allies indicate she is “getting prepared”. Her candidacy currently faces hurdles due to an ongoing HMRC investigation into her tax affairs.
Wes Streeting (Health Secretary): Viewed as the candidate most “ready” for an immediate contest. He has a well-organized campaign team but is regarded with suspicion by the party’s left wing, who view him as a “Blairite”. He has publicly denied plotting against Starmer.
Ed Miliband (Energy Secretary): A senior cabinet figure and former Labour leader. While he has ruled out another leadership bid himself, he is seen as a potential “king-maker” who could support a candidate like Andy Burnham.
Catherine West (Backbench MP): Has explicitly threatened to launch a leadership challenge if the Cabinet does not act. She has positioned herself as a “stalking horse” to trigger a wider contest, even if she does not win herself.
The process for a challenge
Under current Labour Party rules, a formal leadership challenge requires the public support of 20% of Labour MPs—currently 81 nominations. As of May 12, over 70 MPs have reportedly called for his resignation or a firm departure timetable.
“The LabourParty has a process for triggering a leadership election. That has not happened, so we all intend to get on with our jobs and that’s what I’m going to do,” UK Housing Secretary Steve Reed told reporters after Tuesday’s tense Cabinet meeting. “There is a process to challenge the leader, nobody has made that challenge,” added UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. However, despite such voices of support, there is a growing sense that Starmer’s reset speech on Monday had done little to reassure his party colleagues that he is the best choice to continue leading the Labour Party.
With PTI inputs
