LONDON (AP) 鈥� Britain鈥檚 government faces a prolonged period of uncertainty after a week of maneuvering within the governing Labour Party failed to oust but started the clock on a leadership contest that could last well into the summer.
Although Starmer vowed to fight on after a bruising week in which one Cabinet member resigned, dozens of lawmakers called for the prime minister to quit and his new policy proposals were largely ignored, some observers believe it鈥檚 only a matter of time before he steps aside.
The message of the past week 鈥渋s that Labour seems to have made up its mind that Keir Starmer is going to have to go,鈥� said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 going to have to go reasonably quickly, and he鈥檚 going to have to be replaced by someone who can, unlike him, connect with the public.鈥�
Cabinet resignation adds pressure on Starmer
Weeks of speculation about future broke into open rebellion Thursday when Health Secretary resigned in preparation for a possible leadership bid and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, declared his intention to return to Parliament. Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced she had cleared up a tax issue that forced her to resign from the Cabinet last year, thus freeing her up as well.
Starmer is under growing pressure to step down after Labour hemorrhaging votes to both the anti-immigrant Reform UK party on the right and the Green Party on the left. The electoral drubbing cemented doubts among many party members about Starmer鈥檚 judgment, vision and leadership less than two years after he led Labour to a landslide victory.
But the to unseat him is on hold for now as the party waits to see if Burnham can win a special election for a seat in Parliament that would allow him to enter the race. If he returns to the House of Commons, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer.
On Friday, Labour’s executive body approved Burnham to run for the seat that became available when a Labour lawmaker resigned to make way for the Greater Manchester mayor. That election is expected to be in the next five or so weeks.
As and when a challenge to Starmer emerges, Labour鈥檚 National Executive Committee will set the timetable for any leadership election. The most recent contest lasted three months.
The government鈥檚 borrowing costs rose Friday and the pound weakened on investor concern about continued disarray in Westminster. The pound has dropped 1.3% against the U.S dollar this week.
Starmer’s supporters urge rivals to think again
Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Friday appealed to party members to step back from the brink of a divisive leadership contest that he said would prevent the government from tackling issues like the and bolster the prospects of Reform UK.
鈥淭his weekend people just need to take a breath, look at what鈥檚 gone wrong this week, and come back next week ready to do what we said we鈥檇 do 鈥� country first, party second 鈥� and focus on delivering the change we were elected to deliver,鈥� he told the BBC.
That plea came after a week of political jockeying that overshadowed everything else in Westminster.
The infighting reached a crescendo on Thursday morning when Streeting resigned. While praising Starmer鈥檚 鈥渃ourage and statesmanship鈥� in international affairs, Streeting said he had lost confidence in the prime minister鈥檚 leadership because of missteps on domestic issues.
鈥淲here we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift,鈥� Streeting wrote in a stinging resignation letter.
鈥淟eaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords,鈥� he added. 鈥淵ou also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.鈥�
Opportunity knocks for the popular mayor of Greater Manchester
Streeting stopped short of putting himself forward as the best candidate to lead the party at the next general election, suggesting Starmer should step aside to allow a 鈥渂road鈥� field of candidates to debate the future of the party.
That seemed to be a nod to Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who left Parliament in 2017 to run for mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham has been looking for a way to return to the House of Commons so he can challenge Starmer for the top job.
Josh Simons, a Labour lawmaker from Northern England, provided that opening on Thursday by resigning his seat explicitly to make way for Burnham. But that was only the first step for Burnham. Before he can return to Westminster, Burnham must win a special election to represent Makerfield, a community where Reform UK posted strong results in last week鈥檚 local elections.
Burnham acknowledged those challenges on Thursday when he announced his candidacy for the seat.
鈥淚 truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times,鈥� he said in a statement.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
