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Streeting says he is 'full of rebellious hope' as he delivers resignation speech

leadership as the reason for the party's dire election results a few days earlier, saying Labour needed a vision but instead "we have a vacuum". The 43-year-old also told MPs about

UK borrowing costs fall and pound rises as Starmer says he will remain as PM

Labour appeared on track for [smaller losses than election experts had predicted](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/08/labour-local-elections-keir-starmer-cling-on). The yield – effectively the interest rate – had [jumped earlier this week](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/05/uk-borrowing-costs-bond-yields-gilts-rachel-reeves), amid fears that the prime minister

How the contest is shaping up two weeks ahead of crucial Makerfield by-election

leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I'd have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same." Clearly Burnham is desperate

Pressure mounts on embattled UK PM Keir Starmer as rivals circle

Andy Burnham walks in London, UK, on March 31, 2026 [Justin Tallis/Reuters] ## Special election Despite the clamouring of support, Burnham’s path towards the 10 Downing Street would not be straightforward. Labour’s National Executive

Reeves makes case to remain as chancellor with reports Burnham may favour Miliband

Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield byelection and replaces Starmer as prime minister. Reports [have suggested](https://www.ft.com/content/2661dd28-909b-49fd-95c6-e66ebf2fce70?syn-25a6b1a6=1) Burnham is considering appointing Ed Miliband as chancellor if he makes it to No 10. But Reeves

Anti-Burnham fake news on Makerfield Facebook accounts has surged, report finds – UK politics live

Andy Burnham, a new study has found. > > The Social Market Foundation analysed over 1,800 posts across four local Facebook groups – representing different towns and settlements within the constituency with 66,000 members across them

British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses

Andy Burnham, is not in parliament. He is the mayor of Greater Manchester and could only return to the House of Commons if another MP stood down and he fought the election to replace them

Andy Burnham faces perilous race to win Makerfield byelection, allies say

Andy to get Starmer out, but the flip side is you’re saying to Reform voters that if they vote Reform they can finish the Labour party off for good.” ![Makerfield town centre](https://i.guim.co.uk

Minister rejects Blair intervention, accusing ex-PM of retreading old arguments – UK politics live

Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting are already actively engaged, Angela Rayner is taking an interest, and [Keir Starmer](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/keir-starmer) is defending his legacy with renewed vigour. The last thing anyone expected

Four key excerpts from Streeting's resignation letter

challenge, saying instead that the prime minister should take steps to ensure there is a "broad" contest to replace him with "the best possible field of candidates". Here are four key excerpts from the near

Wes Streeting: PM-in-waiting or ‘this generation’s David Miliband’?

challenge him directly if Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, was not in parliament. “It’s why we felt so confident that Keir would not have to resign – they thought he can be bullied

A political nerd’s guide to Britain’s by-election

Andy Burnham is a former Labour Cabinet minister, but quit Westminster almost a decade ago to become the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He now oversees England’s second city, and a surrounding region

UK borrowing costs hit highest for 18 years as uncertainty over PM continues

leadership in the UK](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1e2n923v1lt) and perceived risk of looser public spending has further unsettled investors. The UK's main stock index, the FTSE 100, fell 0.5% with shares in British banks leading

‘Better the devil you know’: former Labour voters in Birmingham unsure about replacing Starmer

leadership challenge, former Labour voters in a Birmingham constituency were last week feeling nervous about what could come next. A month ago, the group from Birmingham Yardley [had very little good to say about

Labour MPs have put Starmer on notice after election battering. Can he turn it around?

Andy Burnham this weekend. He isn't even an MP, and after Labour took a pasting across his backyard in the North West, perhaps it looks harder for him this weekend too. I also

The potential challengers to Keir Starmer

challengers to Keir Starmer The prime minister's political future hangs in the balance, with his home secretary, a handful of ministers and more than 80 MPs calling on him to go, if not immediately

Will Starmer go – and if so, how? Four scenarios in the battle for No 10

Andy Burnham, the probable favourite among Labour MPs, is not in parliament. Any resolution in the coming weeks would require a sitting MP to trigger a contest by getting the backing of 80-plus colleagues

Lucy Powell says Labour has ‘no magic bullet’ as MPs brace for heavy losses in local elections

challenges facing the country – as its MPs grapple with how to navigate the fallout out from the local elections. [Lucy Powell](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/lucy-powell) told the Guardian she understood there was “huge anger and despondency

Catherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September

leadership, has changed course and said she instead wants the prime minister to set a timetable of September for his departure. West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister

In Britain, Brexit is debated again as Starmer’s grip on power slips

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, campaigns door to door on May 20, 2026, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, England [Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images] A survey by the More in Common research agency recently found that