Internal pressure within the Labour Party continues to build as potential successors emerge, even as Keir Starmer attempts to hold his administration together.
Likewise, one MP ally of Burnham rang POLITICO unprompted to praise Streeting for “coming to his senses,” adding: “It shows the consensus in the party now is that we need to have the best players on the pitch.” But the same ally of Burnham shot down any hope that the Greater Manchester mayor would cut a deal with Streeting to ensure only one of them ran.. “There’s absolutely no deal with Wes,” this person said..
“Wes was prepared to plunge our party into chaos.” Meanwhile, Starmer staggers on Starmer defied expectations all week to stay in office.. He told his Cabinet that he would fight on for the sake of economic stability and to see out his 2024 mandate; his supporters believe — not without cause — that having a leadership contest at all would paralyze the government.. Despite Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging him privately to set out a
timetable for his departure Tuesday, the Cabinet danger seems over for now.. Allies of Mahmood and Peter Kyle, the business secretary and close friend of Streeting, said they were not following Streeting in resigning.. But governing will already be harder.. Streeting’s replacement as health secretary, the Treasury minister James Murray, was announced eight hours after his exit.. Starmer plans to bring forward contentious bills on immigration reform and reducing the number of jury trials this
summer that could attract rebellions from his warring party.. Some of Streeting’s backers are still pushing for their man to move quickly.. A fifth Streeting ally said: “This has to happen sooner rather than later.. We can’t go on like this.. It’s hugely damaging.” This person added: “This is imminent in my view, it’s got to be soon.. That is Wes’s view too.”
Keir Starmer, Labour Party, Wes Streeting, UK politics, leadership contest, government instability