Health Secretary Wes Streeting is preparing to launch a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, provided he secures enough MP support to trigger a contest. Streeting's move has sparked a scramble on the left of the Labour Party to find a candidate to oppose him, with Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner among potential contenders.
Streeting, considered to be on the Blairite right of the party, has been organising an attempt to oust Starmer since Labour's poor election results. Despite his friends insisting he did not want to make the first move, Streeting is working to secure the necessary 81 signatures from MPs to force a leadership election.
Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, is the favoured replacement for Starmer among many on the soft left, but he does not yet have a seat in Parliament. He has been trying to persuade several MPs to stand down for him, with Afzal Khan or Jeff Smith as possible candidates. If Khan were to step aside, Burnham could face a by-election, but it would be difficult for him to enter Parliament in time for any contest triggered this week.
Starmer has been calling ministers and MPs into his office to plead with them not to allow a competition, warning that a leadership contest would plunge the party into chaos. His cabinet allies, including Rachel Reeves, have been urging MPs to consider that a leadership election would paralyse the government's ability to function.
Allies of Miliband believe he also has the required backing among MPs, while Rayner could launch her own bid, though sources say she is not yet set on being the left's candidate. Downing Street has insisted Starmer would fight any challenge, having just set out a programme for government in the King's Speech.
