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Why Starmer still can't move on from the Mandelson mess

Labour figure is now likely to jump-start a bout of leadership frenzy, but don't doubt that is on many MPs' minds. Another told me: "It's not possible to put any more nails

Who could challenge Keir Starmer for the UK PM’s job? Meet the candidates

MPs to back her to challenge the prime minister. Following Starmer’s speech on Monday, she criticised it as “too little too late”, but suggested she would no longer stand for the Labour leadership. Even

'We need to move quickly,' says Labour MP seeking to challenge PM

thinks could do a better job than Sir Keir. In order to trigger a leadership contest, 20% of Labour MPs - 81 people - would have to back her. She has said she currently has 10 MPs

Labour must offer more than ‘better managed decline’ on economy, MPs urge

MPs have said they believe the health secretary, Wes Streeting, could imminently launch a challenge. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is also hoping to find a route to parliament to seek the leadership

Analysis: Has Starmer done enough to save his premiership?

Starmer's speech. Was it enough to avert a challenge to the prime minister's leadership less than two years after he won a landslide general election victory? In the first instance, the person whose

Henry Zeffman: PM puts himself back in the game for now

think you're hard enough. Boil it down and that's what Sir Keir Starmer said to the cabinet today, at the start of what was - let's remember - just its standard weekly scheduled meeting

Keir Starmer under pressure to agree exit plan after election mauling

leadership rivals, said they would keep their counsel and watch how events developed over the weekend. Wes Streeting was expected to speak to the media after his local council results. But they all appeared

A grim week for Starmer – but things could be about to get worse

Starmer. If you had asked me a fortnight ago about the sentiment we were picking up from Labour MPs about Sir Keir's future in Downing Street, I would have told you that pressure from

Keir Starmer makes late pitch to voters turning to Greens and Reform

leadership contenders – Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner – are said to be unwilling to be the first to challenge Starmer. Starmer is said to be weighing up setting out the next step in the government

Starmer tells cabinet he will not quit without leadership challenge

leadership challenge has not been met. In comments that effectively dared the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to launch a challenge against him, Starmer said he intended to get on with governing. “As I said yesterday

Labour MP in seat eyed by Burnham allies says she will not stand aside

leadership contest. Allies of Burnham, who hopes to seek to replace Starmer as prime minister, had said Rimmer’s seat was one possibly in contention for him to fight a byelection. But Rimmer

Keir Starmer vows to prove doubters wrong in make-or-break leadership speech

MPs have said they believe the health secretary, Wes Streeting, could imminently launch a leadership challenge. Allies of Streeting have [denied he will move against the prime minister](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/10/starmer-faces-perilous-24-hours-streeting-readying-leadership-bid) – and said he would

PM's ex-chief of staff to give evidence on Mandelson vetting

Starmer that the UK Security and Vetting (UKSV) team had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson, but the Foreign Office had still granted him security clearance. The prime minister effectively sacked Sir Olly, expressing anger that

Cabinet minister warns Labour against ‘doomscrolling’ through leaders like the Tories

leadership challenge. “I speak to a lot of my fellow MPs, of course I do, all the time, but also council leaders, and they’re sick and tired of all this psychodrama,” he said. “They

Monday briefing: How is it possible the prime minister didn’t know about Mandelson’s vetting failure?

MPs on Monday](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/19/starmer-faces-commons-showdown-over-mandelson-vetting-scandal) setting out how Peter Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting

British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses

think it is a matter of months.” For now, however, Starmer has the backing of his senior ministers, at least in public, including the two routinely named as likely challengers: Wes Streeting, the health minister

Ed Miliband says he and Lammy feared Mandelson appointment could ‘blow up’

MPs on Tuesday morning. He is expected to argue that he was following procedures by not disclosing details of the vetting process to ministers, and by ensuring Mandelson could be appointed, which was then

Is Starmer's leadership under serious threat?

Starmer? The former minister Catherine West's interview with Radio 4's PM programme immediately raised eyebrows around Westminster. Plenty of Labour MPs from across the party have told us they didn

Winners, losers and a PM on the brink - what to expect in next week's elections

MPs, councillors and ministers I've talked to are all frustrated by the speculation, with no little irritation towards the wannabe contenders in a leadership race. But there is no ignoring the fact that

Farage trying to avoid scrutiny over £5m gift from crypto billionaire, Labour says

Labour in Scotland. Farage hailed the results a “historic shift in British politics”**.** The Electoral Commission is expected to announce in the coming days whether it will launch a formal investigation into Farage