Updated May 15, 2026 — 5:27am,first published 10:31pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. AAA London: A senior British cabinet minister has quit the government to clear the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer after months of internal
Updated ,first published
London: A senior British cabinet minister has quit the government to clear the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer after months of internal dissent and a catastrophic loss for the party in elections last week.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting ended days of speculation by formally resigning from the government about 1pm on Thursday in London (10pm AEST) and issuing a letter that damned the government for offering a “vacuum” rather than vision.
A rival candidate for the top job emerged hours later when Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealed plans to contest a seat in parliament, gaining swift endorsements from left-wing MPs who want a radical shift in the government’s direction.
But Streeting did not declare his intention to challenge Starmer and focused his statement on his concerns about the government’s direction, leaving doubt around the timing of the next steps to decide who should run the country.
Burnham did not issue a direct challenge, either, because he must gain party approval to become the Labour candidate at a looming byelection in the hope of entering parliament and joining a future leadership race.
Streeting prepared for a future leadership ballot by calling for a broad contest of candidates to debate the party’s future, in a line that observers regarded as an invitation for other contenders to put their names forward.
A vote by Labour party members could take months to organise, leaving the government divided while ministers argue over the leadership.
Former deputy leader Angela Rayner, who stepped down last year over a tax blunder, told The Guardian she wanted to see change, but she was vague about her intentions. When asked whether Starmer should step aside, she said: “Keir will have to reflect on that.”
Streeting based his criticism of the government on the backlash against Labour in the local and regional elections last Thursday, when the party lost power in Wales, suffered a decline in Scotland and lost hundreds of councillors across local government.
“Last week’s election results were unprecedented – both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure,” he wrote in his letter to Starmer.
“You have many great strengths that I admire. You led our party to a victory few thought possible in 2024 and I was proud to fight alongside you in the trenches of that campaign. You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage – not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran.
“But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.”
Streeting referred to Starmer’s defence of his record in a major speech on Monday, in the wake of the election results, but he highlighted the challenges facing the country and concluded that Starmer was not up to the task.
“These are big challenges that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering,” he wrote.
“It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.
“It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.
“Serving as your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been the greatest joy of my life and, regardless of our differences this week, I remain truly grateful to you for the opportunity to serve and I am deeply saddened to be leaving government in this way.”
The British press has repeatedly named Streeting as a contender for the prime minister’s job for more than a year, and as recently as May 2 said he had the numbers to launch a challenge.
He made no public claim to this, however, and said in his letter that it would have been “dishonourable and unprincipled” to remain in cabinet when he had lost confidence in the prime minister.
Labour rules state that a challenger must gain support from 20 per cent of the parliamentary party to trigger a challenge. The party has 403 members in the House of Commons, which means Streeting needs 81 to back him to trigger a vote by party members to choose the leader.
When the party voted on the deputy leadership last year, 87,407 members voted for Lucy Powell – a senior figure on the left – and 73,536 voted for Bridget Phillipson, who was seen as aligned with Starmer.
A poll of Labour members by research firm Survation, released hours before Streeting’s resignation, found the prime minister would win a vote against the former cabinet minister by 53 per cent to 23 per cent.
However, it found that Starmer would lose to Burnham by 28 per cent to 61 per cent.
Burnham was an MP for 16 years, and a minister in the Labour government that lost office in 2010, but he left Westminster a decade ago to take charge of Greater Manchester.
He revealed his plan shortly after 5.30pm on Thursday (2.30am on Friday, AEST) after an ally, Josh Simons, announced that he would resign as MP for Makerfield so that Burnham could contest the seat. The electorate is west of Manchester and just south of Wigan.
“Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again,” said Burnham.
“This is why I now seek people’s support to return to parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people.
“Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed.”
Starmer’s allies in the Labour Party national executive committee already blocked Burnham from running at a byelection this year, but the prime minister has lost authority and may struggle to do the same at Burnham’s second attempt to return to Westminster.
Running for Makerfield is a risk for Burnham, however, given that the area around Wigan swung sharply away from Labour and toward Reform UK in the council elections last week, giving Reform leader Nigel Farage a big victory in the area.
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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