LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer's future remained uncertain on Thursday as key members of his Labour Party prepared to challenge his leadership following calls by dozens of his fellow lawmakers
to step down.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting was preparing a bid, his allies said, adding he will make an announcement later in the day.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced she had cleared up a tax issue that forced her to resign her job last year, allowing her to also launch a challenge. Rayner told the Guardian newspaper that Starmer should “reflect on” his position, adding that she was ready to “play my part” in any leadership election if Streeting were to trigger a contest.
The embattled prime minister is in a precarious position after the huge losses Labour suffered in local and regional elections last week. More than 80 lawmakers in the House of Commons have since urged him to set a timetable for his departure, though no one has yet challenged Starmer directly.
Starmer says he has no intention to stand down, and has his own supporters within the party. More than 100 lawmakers have signed a letter saying it’s “no time” for a leadership contest.
Streeting or Rayner would each need signatures from at least 81 Labour lawmakers to launch a challenge.
Here's the latest:
A former Royal Marine who served with distinction in Afghanistan is being touted as a potential candidate to replace Starmer in the event of a leadership battle.
Al Carns, who is the armed forces minister in Starmer’s Labour government, has seen his stock rise within the party ever since he was first elected to Parliament in Labour’s 2024 landslide election victory.
Carns, 46, has a captivating personal story that could attract support among the different factions within Labour. In addition to his distinguished service in Afghanistan, which saw him awarded the Military Cross in 2011, Carns was born in a working-class family in the Scottish oil town of Aberdeen to a single mum.
“We do not need more slogans, strategies, press releases or commissions,” Carns said in an article for The New Statesman magazine published on Thursday, “We need action.”
His weakness is likely to be his lack of experience. Replacing a leader who has been criticized for his lack of political nous with a relative newcomer, however compelling their backstory, could be risky.
Efforts to unseat Starmer are likely to break out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival expected to announce his bid for the job and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest.
Allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting say he will make an announcement later in the day after garnering enough support from lawmakers of the governing Labour Party to challenge Starmer for leadership of the party and the government.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Thursday that she had reached an agreement with tax authorities to clear up questions about her taxes that forced her to leave the Cabinet last September. Rayner told the Guardian newspaper that Starmer should “reflect on” his position, adding that she was ready to “play my part” in any leadership election if Streeting were to trigger a contest.
Pressure for Starmer to step aside or face a leadership challenge has intensified since the Labour Party suffered disastrous losses in local and regional elections last week.
