Starmer Meets Rival Wes Streeting Amid Leadership Revolt

Keir Starmer moved quickly to steady his premiership, holding talks with Health Secretary Wes Streeting after a bruising stretch in which four ministers quit and at least 80 Labour MPs urged the British prime minister to resign.

Despite the turmoil, Mr Starmer remained in office at 10 Downing Street and fended off the immediate danger to his leadership, with reports indicating that the leading figures tipped to replace him do not yet have the support required to force a contest.

Mr Streeting is widely regarded as one of the most significant threats to his position from Labour’s right.

Mr Streeting spent less than 20 minutes inside Downing Street.

The Guardian reported that Mr Streeting was stepping back from launching an immediate bid for the leadership.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a prominent figure on the party’s soft-left, has yet to reveal any route back to Westminster. To do that, he would need a sitting MP to stand aside and allow him to contest a bye-election.

Allies of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, another possible soft-left contender, have dismissed reports that he is preparing to enter the race if Mr Streeting sets one in motion.

At the same time, Labour’s affiliated unions have said preparations should begin for the election of a new Labour leader.

In a statement, the TULO group, which brings together 11 unions, said Labour “cannot continue on its current path”.

The unions said it was evident to them that Mr Starmer would not take Labour into the next general election.

Those unions, among them Unite, Unison and the GMB, acknowledged that the Government has made progress, pointing in particular to elements of the Employment Rights Act and the rise in the minimum wage.

But they said last week’s election results were “devastating”.

The statement said: “Labour is not doing enough to deliver the change that working people voted for at the general election. Our focus is on the fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy that unions have been clear is needed, and not on the personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.

“It’s clear that the Prime Minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new leader.

“This is a point where the future of the party we founded will be debated and determined and we are working closely as unions to shape a shared vision on policy, political strategy and economic policy that will re-orient Labour back to working people, so Labour do what it was elected to do – govern in the interests of workers.”

TULO, the Trade Union and Labour Organisation, is chaired by USDAW General Secretary Joanne Thomas.

Mr Starmer has tried to press ahead, having already replaced four ministers – including senior MP Jess Phillips and health minister Zubir Ahmed, a Streeting ally – after they resigned from government and called on him to step down.

At yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Mr Starmer insisted he would continue, winning public support from several senior ministers, including his deputy David Lammy, who told colleagues to “step back and take a breath”.

Mr Starmer told cabinet that the country “expects us to get on with governing” and that “that is what I am doing”, though he sidestepped any direct confrontation by refusing to discuss his leadership during the meeting or hold individual talks with critics afterwards.

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According to sources, he said he would address questions about his future only in one-to-one conversations with ministers, but no such discussions took place after the cabinet session ended.

Labour MP says she does not want to hand Downing Street keys to Farage

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said she does not want Reform UK leader Nigel Farage ending up with the keys to Downing Street.

“I will do anything and stop at nothing to ensure that we safeguard our political system and safeguard our communities,” she said.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said it was time to “move into this new, fresh chapter to give people hope again in the political system to find a way in society and to experience fairness and justice on the ground”.

“We’re in very divided times because the likes of Nigel Farage, he’s a disruptor, he’s a divider and we need somebody with the political skills to be able to bring people together with a unified vision to know where they’re going and to build that solidarity back into our communities,” Ms Maskell added.

“I do not want the keys to Number 10 handed to Nigel Farage, and I will do anything and stop at nothing to ensure that we safeguard our political system and safeguard our communities,” she said.