Keir Starmer says he will keep governing, but Labour MPs are weighing possible successors including Wes Streeting, Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner.
Sir Keir Starmer is under growing pressure inside Labour, with potential successors already being discussed even though no leadership contest has been triggered and no candidate has publicly said they want to replace him.
The BBC reported that the prime minister’s political future is in doubt after his home secretary, several ministers and more than 80 MPs called for him to go, either immediately or in the near future. Starmer told cabinet on Tuesday that he would “get on with governing,” and said a contest had not begun.
The uncertainty matters because any Labour leadership fight would also be a contest for the premiership. For now, there is no clear consensus among Labour MPs over who should take over if Starmer is forced out or chooses to stand aside.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is one of the most prominent names. He has held the health brief since Labour entered government in 2024, after shadowing the role for three years in opposition. First elected to Parliament in 2015, Streeting previously led the National Union of Students and served as a London councillor.
Streeting is regarded as one of the cabinet’s strongest communicators and can point to falling NHS waiting lists as a government achievement. He has previously been open about leadership ambitions and has support among Labour MPs, particularly on the centre and right of the party. That same positioning could make it harder for him with party members, who are generally to the left of the parliamentary party.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is another major figure being watched. He has governed the region for nearly a decade and, according to the BBC, has strong support among Labour MPs while polling suggests he is the most popular Labour politician with voters. Burnham has also made no secret of his interest in the top job.
His immediate problem is procedural as well as political: he is not currently an MP. Burnham served as MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017 and held senior government roles, including in health and culture, but would need a route back into Parliament to make a serious bid for No 10. He has twice run for the Labour leadership, losing to Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
Angela Rayner also retains a significant base in the party. The former deputy prime minister and housing secretary rose from trade union politics to Parliament in 2015 and became one of Labour’s most recognisable figures. Her support overlaps with Burnham’s in parts of the Labour left and among Greater Manchester MPs.
Rayner’s position is complicated by her resignation in 2025 after admitting she had not paid enough tax on the purchase of a new home. She is still awaiting the outcome of an HMRC investigation, which could weigh on any immediate leadership effort.
Other names have surfaced, including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, though both would face questions about support. Miliband has dismissed talk of a return to the leadership, while Mahmood’s immigration changes have caused unease among Labour MPs. Under Labour rules, Starmer could also stand if a leadership race were launched — and he has said he would do so.
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