British government official resigns before potential leadership bid against Labour's Starmer

Britain's Health Minister Wes Streeting announced his resignation on Thursday, effectively paving the way for a potential leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is currently facing significant opposition within his own party.

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In a resignation letter posted on X and addressed to Starmer, Streeting explicitly stated that it has become clear Starmer will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election, citing a loss of confidence in Starmer's leadership abilities.

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Streeting, who is 43 years old, stopped short of confirming whether he has secured the support of 81 Labour MPs, which is the required threshold to trigger a leadership contest, equivalent to 20 per cent of the party's parliamentary representation.

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Prime Minister Starmer, who successfully led the Labour Party to victory in the 2024 elections, thereby ending 14 years of Conservative rule, is now fighting to save his job in the face of disastrous local and regional poll results from the previous week.

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Four junior ministers have already resigned, and more than 80 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to step down, but he remains determined to stay in office, with over 100 lawmakers from the ruling party expressing their support for him to remain in his position.

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On Thursday, Angela Rayner, Starmer's former deputy, announced that the UK tax authorities had cleared her of any deliberate wrongdoing in a tax affair, potentially paving the way for her participation in a future leadership contest.

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Rayner, a 46-year-old left-wing figurehead who is highly popular among Labour's grassroots activists, stated that she would not be the one to trigger a contest but expressed her willingness to play a role in bringing about change, while also calling on Starmer to reflect on his position as party leader.

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Following an investigation that found she had breached the ministerial code over the purchase of a flat in southern England, Rayner was forced to step down as deputy PM and housing, communities, and local government minister in September, and it was reported that she had paid off £40,000 ($54,000) in outstanding tax.

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Streeting is well-liked by those on the right of the Labour Party, but his popularity does not extend to MPs on the left, who would prefer to see Rayner or Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham take the reins as party leader.

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Burnham, however, is currently ineligible to run due to his lack of a seat in the Westminster parliament, and his supporters are pushing for Starmer to establish a clear timeline for his departure, which would allow Burnham to participate in a potential leadership contest.

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According to Starmer's spokesman, the prime minister has no intention of stepping down, and is instead focused on governing and carrying out his duties, with the spokesman stating that Starmer "is purely focused on governing" and "is getting on with the job of doing just that".

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Last week's local polls saw voters punish Starmer's party, with huge gains for the hard-right Reform UK party and the left-wing populist Greens at Labour's expense, resulting in the Labour Party losing control of the devolved Welsh parliament for the first time.

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The party also failed to make gains on the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) in the Edinburgh parliament, and Rayner noted that voters are frustrated with the way the government is being run, although she stopped short of calling for Starmer's resignation.

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Starmer has vowed to fight any potential leadership contest and has come out strong, pledging to do better and prove his doubters "wrong", with the backing of several senior cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Rachel Reeves.

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Reeves urged her colleagues on Thursday not to jeopardize the economy by "plunging the country into chaos" with a leadership challenge, emphasizing the need for stability and continuity in government.